Lost in Medicine and Morals: Harm Minimisation Would Benefit from Further Close Scrutiny of the Drug Related Risk Discourse

Abstract

Despite the considerable investment of resources in drug services there are regular and widespread reports of continued risk taking by drug users. In 1988 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs formally recognised that 'some drug misusers might not be sufficiently motivated to consider abstinence'. As a result most drugs agencies recognised that one of their main goals was the reduction of harm amongst those drug users who were not going to abstain. Although some evidence has been presented indicating degrees of behaviour change to date the harm minimisation policy has at best achieved limited success. Drug users risk taking behaviour has been investigated at length and variously explained by referring to notions such as addiction, or the personal and social deficiencies of drug users. By contrast the preferred model of risk in the current drug related risk discourse has not received further close scrutiny.

Key Words:

• Risk reduction
• Harm minimization
• risk discourse