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Articles on Harm reduction

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A wall at a supervised consumption site in Ottawa is decorated with notes written in chalk. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Supervised consumption sites reduce drug overdoses and disease transmission — and deserve government support

Supervised consumption sites provide essential community connections and services for those who use them. By closing them, governments are risking the welfare of people who use drugs.
Companies develop AI to gain an advantage over their competition, but this results in flawed products entering the market. (Shutterstock)

Push for AI innovation can create dangerous products

Competition between corporations drives innovation and development. But when it comes to artificial intelligence systems, the prevention of harm should be more important.
B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson holds a copy of exemption documents that enable British Columbia to decriminalize possession of small amounts of ‘hard’ drugs for personal use. B.C.’s bold experiment will be closely watched as a comparator with other progressive jurisdictions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Decriminalizing hard drugs in B.C. follows decades of public health advocacy

British Columbia’s bold experiment provides an opportunity to implement more balance in Canadian drug policy, and a more principled withdrawal from the war on drugs.
Methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine distributed by the Drug User Liberation Front, a grassroots organization proving a safe supply of illicit drugs, in Vancouver, in April 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Safer supply of opioids saves lives: Providing alternatives to toxic street drugs

People are dying from using a toxic drug supply. Safer supply and other approaches that listen to the needs of people who use drugs are critical to saving lives and addressing the opioid crisis.
When people are in a group they are more likely to engage in aggressive and risky behaviours they may not normally do on their own. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Banning large university parties won’t work — students need to be empowered to propose change

To make sure what happened at Queen’s University during homecoming weekends doesn’t happen again, we need to have classroom conversations now, and make bold and innovative changes to identify long-term solutions.
Holiday gatherings with family and friends before the pandemic seemed so simple. FatCamera via Getty Images

4 steps to reaching Biden’s goal of a July 4th with much greater freedom from COVID-19

The president wants Americans to be able to celebrate Independence Day with small gatherings. What will it take to get the virus under control by then? Three public health school deans explain.
People gather in Trinity Bellwoods park for a weed bubble blowing event in Toronto on Oct. 17, 2018, the day cannabis became legal in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Cannabis education should aim to normalize — not prevent — safe and legal use

If the goal of cannabis legalization was to protect public health and safety, education and awareness campaigns must normalize safe cannabis use, not stop cannabis consumption.
According to Oregon law, possessing a small amount of drugs for personal consumption is now a civil – rather than criminal – offense. Peter Dazeley via Getty

Oregon just decriminalized all drugs – here’s why voters passed this groundbreaking reform

Possessing heroin, cocaine, meth and other drugs for personal use is no longer a criminal offense in Oregon. The idea is to get people with problem drug use help, not punishment.

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