Last Tuesday, we had a class debate regarding the topic of harm reduction strategies for drug abuse. Marijuana, club drugs, prescription drugs and hallucinogens were some of the types of drugs used in the debate. My group was asked to discuss harm reduction strategies for marijuana. We came up with ideas such as, decriminalization of marijuana, smoking with a vaporizer to reduce the amount of carcinogens in the smoke, putting marijuana in food and ingesting the active chemical ingredient of THC which produces the feeling of being "high", and creating marijuana "bars" or designated areas for smoking weed. At first, I did not really understand the concept of harm reduction strategies and had no idea what to talk about regarding strategies to reduce harm for smoking marijuana. However, after thinking about it more actively and discussing with my group members, I came to find the concept to be pretty interesting. I do not think I necessarily agree with the idea of harm reduction strategies as a completely positive public health initiative; however, I did enjoy hearing different creative strategies both for and against various types of drug use.
Harm reduction strategies are ways in which drug addicts and abusers can acquire and consume drugs in the safest manner. The concept of harm reduction strategies is often viewed as being very controversial, which is part of the reason why I found it to be so interesting. It also made it very fitting for a debate topic in class. Harm reduction strategies have been proven to increase the health of many drug addicts and is an example of public health. Specific programs and centers have been created nationwide to assist drug users and try to keep their level of health at its highest possible point. Programs such as needle exchange for HIV and drug substitution are examples of harm reduction strategies that are important to public health. Needle exchanges allow drug users to "shoot up" or inject the drug into themselves with clean needles rather than using dirty needles and risking the possibility of transmitting diseases such as HIV. Public health is all about protecting the overall health of our population, whether it be on a nationwide level or a communal level. Drugs are abused all over the world on a daily basis and the use of harm reduction strategies can hopefully help reduce the amount of risk while using, as well as maintain a good level of overall public health.
Another reason why I found this topic to be interesting is because it directly impacts my life on a familial level. My oldest cousin is a former drug addict and benefitted in multiple ways from harm reduction strategies. He attended rehabilitation centers many times; however, as the definition of addiction states, he could not shake the "drive" to use drugs. After being released from his last rehabilitation center, he began taking advantage of harm reduction strategies. Despite the fact that he was still using drugs, he was at least doing it in a safer way than he had been previously and reduced some risks associated with the abuse. I feel that harm reduction strategies are a large contributor to public health.
Susan Knighten
Abby Musselwhite
Ali Hogan
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