Drug Use & Drug Policy

Addressing the harmful consequences of problematic substance use is often the primary focus of many harm reduction policies and programs. Some key documents that inform progressive and effective approaches in this area have been developed. These documents provide practical tools that can improve services aimed at substance users and strengthen communities. Evaluations of these programs provide information that supports ongoing development and implementation of comprehensive harm reduction policies and programs.

Note: The following documents are in pdf format. You must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to read these files. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, click here for a free download.

• Prison Needle Exchange: Lessons from a Comprehensive Review of International Evidence and Experience - Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
• Ontario Needle Exchange Programs - Best Practice Recommendations
• Every Door is the Right Door: A British Columbia Planning Framework to Address Problematic Substance Use and Addiction - British Columbia Ministry of Health Services
• Changes In Public Order After The Opening Of A Medically Supervised Safer Injecting Facility For Illicit Injection Drug Users, Canadian Medical Association Journal
• Winnipeg 2004 CCENDU Report, Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use
• Reducing the Harm Associated with Injection Drug Use in Canada, Health Canada

For a thorough review of information on drug policy and harm reduction please visit the Drug Policy Alliance