A range of services is available to prevent harms from substance use. Some examples include:
- Impaired driving prevention campaigns: Create awareness of the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol and other legal or illegal substances
- Peer support programs: Groups for people who use substances - to improve their quality of life and to address gaps in services
- Needle distribution programs: Distribute clean needles and other harm reduction supplies and educate on their safe disposal
- Outreach and education: Make contact with people who use substances to encourage safer behaviour
- Substitution therapies: Substitute illegal heroin with legal, non-injection methadone or prescription heroin
- Supervised consumption facilities: Prevent overdose deaths and other harms by providing a safer, supervised environment for people using substances
What are the benefits of Harm Reduction?
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Harm reduction has many benefits for people who use substances, their families, and communities. |
Research shows harm reduction activities can:
- Reduce HIV infection and hepatitis
- Reduce overdose deaths and other early deaths among people who use substances
- Reduce injection substance use in public places, and reduce the number of used needles in public
- Reduce the sharing of needles and other substance use equipment
- Educate about safer injecting and reduce injecting frequency
- Educate about safer sex and sexual health and increase condom use
- Reduce crime and increase employment among people who use substances Increase referrals to treatment programs and health and social services
Naloxone Decision Support Tool (DST)
Mature Minor Guideline for Harm Reduction Supplies
Strategies and Services Committee Terms of Reference
Strategies Newsletter
A regular newsletter by the BC Harm Reduction Strategies and Services (HRSS) Committee
