Harm reduction is a philosophy in which practitioners work with drug users to reduce the harm they cause to themselves through the drug use. Harm reduction strategies range from “safer use” to abstinence and include policies such as needle exchanges, drug treatment, and overdose education. Harm reduction policies focus on individual problems and users, and as such are not universal in their application. The one universality amongst such programs is an emphasis on reducing the harm that results from drug use as opposed to punishing the user for their use. In the past week, two programs related to harm reduction appeared in the news. The Washington Post published a piece on the development of TA-CD, a vaccine intended to reduce the effects of cocaine upon the user, while the LA Times published a piece on the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s booklet “Take Charge Take Care” a guide to safer heroin use.

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