Legalization of Drugs: The Ultimate Harm Reduction Measure

• By: Michael B. Friedman, LMSW Columbia University School of Social Work
• April 1st, 2018
• addiction treatment, drug decriminalization, drug legalization, drug policy reform, drug-related violence, harm reduction, incarceration impact, public health approach
• 1532    0

Illegal drugs are dangerous, but many of their dangers are caused by their illegality rather than the drugs themselves. Yes, the use of illegal (and some legal) drugs results in addiction. But if we really want to reduce the dangers of drug abuse, we must address its illegality as well as the...

Self-Reflections on Self-Determination in Harm Reduction

• By: Eugene Aronowitz, PhD, LMSW Management Consultant
• April 1st, 2018
• addiction services, client autonomy, harm reduction, public health approach, risk reduction, self-determination, social work practice, treatment coercion
• 1883    0

When I was a social work student in the early 1960s, I assumed that it was imperative, even obligatory, that I respect the right of client self-determination, but I certainly didn’t know how to put self-determination into practice. I was placed at Henry Street Settlement and worked with two...