What is harm reduction?

Harm reduction is any step taken towards improving the health and wellness of individuals and their communities. Harm reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim to reduce the health, social and economic consequences of substance/drug use without necessarily reducing the amount of drugs or substances the person uses. Harm reduction benefits the person who uses drugs, their families and the community. It can help our communities connect and understand more about substance use and the role we can play in supporting our communities to stay healthy.

Harm reduction practices:

• Provide access to services to all members of the community
• Connect and care for those who use substances
• Reduce sexually transmitted infections
• Help reduce drug related harms including: infections, the spread of disease and the number of deaths due to overdose

Fraser Health supports needle distribution not needle exchange as an evidence-based strategy to improve health as directed by the Provincial Harm Reduction Strategies and Services program. Learn more about the difference between needle exchange and distribution. 

Learn more about harm reduction. 

• Fact Sheet: Blue Lights in Publicly-Accessible Washrooms
  Fraser Health recommends against placing blue lights in publicly-accessible washrooms.

• Toward the Heart
  A project of the provincial harm reduction program.
• BC Centre for Disease Control: Harm reduction
  A range of services is available to prevent harms from substance use.
• BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
  Improving the health of British Columbians with HIV through the development, ongoing monitoring and dissemination of comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related diseases.
• HealthLink BC: Understanding harm reduction
  Helping you understand harm reduction. Resources also available in Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese.
• HealthLink BC: Harm reduction for families and caregivers
  Helping families and caregivers understand harm reduction. Resources also available in Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese.
• Here to Help
  Mental health and substance use information and resources.