Harm Reduction in Substance Use and High-Risk Behaviour

Harm Reduction is a philosophy of public health intended as a progressive alternative to the prohibition of certain potentially dangerous lifestyle choices. Recognising that certain people always have and always will engage in behaviours which carry risks, the aim of harm reduction is to mitigate the potential dangers and health risks associated with those behaviours.

Harm Reduction in Substance Use and High-Risk Behaviour offers a comprehensive exploration of the policy, practice and evidence base of harm reduction. Starting with a history of harm reduction, the book addresses key ethical and legal issues central to the debates and developments in the field. It discusses the full range of psychoactive substances, behaviours and communities with chapters on injecting, dance drugs, stimulant use, tobacco harm reduction, alcohol use and sex work.

Written by an international team of contributors, this text provides an essential panorama of harm reduction in the 21st century for educators and researchers in addiction and public health, postgraduate students and policy makers.

 

Diane Riley is a policy analyst with the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a founding member of the International Harm Reduction Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network

Richard Pates is a consultant clinical psychologist and clinical director of the Addiction services for Cardiff and vale NHS Trust. He has worked in the field for nearly 20 years and has extensive experience of treating people with amphetamine problems. His research interests include the treatment of amphetamine problems and aspects of injecting. He is also editor of The Journal of Substance Use.