Frequently Asked Questions

Harm reduction is an approach or practice that has been found effective in reducing negative outcomes of drug use, including overdose deaths and infections such as HIV and hepatitis C. Harm reduction approaches are also humane, client-centered and respectful of the agency of people to decide what is best for them right now, where they are today. In practice, harm reduction provides people who use drugs with supplies and information proven to help reduce the harmful impacts of their drug use. It’s both effective and compassionate, taking into account the complexities of drug use and the humanity of each drug user.

As opposed to punitive approaches that create more trauma and are less effective at saving lives, harm reduction is all about connecting each person with the tools they need to find their own path toward health and healing. Harm reduction services can also be a person’s first interaction with organizations that provide recovery support and health care services, helping connect people who use drugs with additional services when they are ready.

Harm reduction is not the only solution but it is a critical element in supporting hope, healing and health. Drug use prevention, recovery support and medical care, as well as reforms to public policies and social changes toward justice and equity, all play an important part.

Harm reduction leads to safer communities by helping people who use drugs do so in a way that is less dangerous to themselves and those around them.

For example, providing people who use drugs with naloxone gives them the tools to reverse an overdose and save a life. The life saved may be a friend, a family member, a loved one, an acquaintance or their own. Providing collection boxes for disposing syringes safely keeps syringes out of the garbage and off the ground, reducing potential injury hazards for others. Connecting people who use drugs with harm reduction services can lead them to access other services, too, increasing use of essential services such as medical care and recovery support.

Taken together, these strategies have profound impacts for people who use drugs and their families, neighbors and communities. Harm reduction programs are proven to reduce HIV and HCV infection rates by 50 percent. And people who use syringe service programs are three times more likely to stop using drugs than people who do not use these programs.

Harm reduction programs are available through Oregon, tribal communities and around the world. We’ve seen support for harm reduction strategies grow as more communities accept that drug use is complex, influenced by systemic racism, inequitable health care, social isolation, trauma and many other factors.

There are many places in Oregon where people who use drugs can access naloxone, syringe service programs and other harm reduction offerings at no cost. And in 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, decriminalizing the personal possession of small amounts of illicit drugs, reducing the penalties for possessing larger amounts, and funding a range of services for people who use drugs, including harm reduction programs.

Training is not required to provide harm reduction supplies from the Save Lives Oregon Clearinghouse to your community. But we encourage you to tap into the resources and expertise available from leaders who have been doing this work with people who use drugs for decades. Please reach out to us if you would like to learn more about the support and training available to your organization.