From harm reduction to drug user abstinence: a journey in drug treatment policy

Abstract

Harm reduction has been the single most influential idea impacting upon the drug treatment policy field over the last 30 years. From an initial concern to reduce the risk of HIV infection amongst injecting drug users harm reduction has grown to become a global social movement. As the fears over HIV receded harm reduction has increasingly concerned itself with a broader range of drug harms including making the case for drug law reform. More recently within the United Kingdom, drug treatment policy has shifted from emphasising the reduction of drug-related harm to stressing the importance of ensuring that drug treatment services are working towards enabling individuals to become drug free. This article explores that journey and considers the arguments for combining abstinence and harm reduction approaches in the future within the United Kingdom in the face of what may well be reduced government funding for drug treatment over the coming years.