According to SAMHSA, harm reduction is an approach that emphasizes engaging directly with people who use drugs to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission, improve the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of those served, and offer low-threshold options for accessing substance use disorder treatment and other health care services.
Harm reduction is a set of strategies and concepts designed to reduce the adverse effects of drug use. Harm reduction is also a social justice movement based on a belief in and respect for the rights of people who use drugs. Harm reduction encompasses a spectrum of strategies, such as safer use, managed use, abstinence, meeting drug users "where they are," and addressing the conditions of use in addition to the using itself. There is no universal definition or formula for implementing harm reduction because interventions and policies designed to assist drug users must reflect specific individual and community needs.
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