HARM REDUCTION AND DECRIMINALIZATION IN THE UNITED-STATES - A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

Harm reduction, an alternative to both drug legalization and drug proh ibition, seeks to preserve prohibition by keeping the supply of drugs illegal while softening some of the harsh consequences of prohibition. Typical harm reduction proposals are needle exchanges for intravenous drug users to reduce the spread of HIV infection and the medical use of marijuana for a variety of illnesses including AIDS, glaucoma, mult iple sclerosis, and cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. W hile attractive as a reasonable-sounding compromise, harm reduction ca rries a high price because it undermines the social signal of prohibit ion. This signal is a vital public health strategy, especially when it comes to primary prevention of use of alcohol and other drugs by yout h. A personal experience with harm reduction, leading to rejection of this approach, is described. Harm reduction, enjoying a minor comeback in the United States, is a favored policy in much of Europe today. Ha rm reduction is not new, and it is a failure as a public health policy .