Harm Reduction and Abstinence: Swiss Drug Policy at a Time of Transition

2014 ◽  
pp. 94-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Klingemann
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Policy

scholarly journals Civil society involvement in harm reduction drug policy: reflections on the past, expectations for the future

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aileen O’Gorman ◽  
Eberhard Schatz
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Health Crisis

Abstract Background A range of civil society organisations (CSOs) such as drug user groups, non-governmental/third sector organisations and networks of existing organisations, seek to shape the development of drugs policy at national and international levels. However, their capacity to do so is shaped by the contexts in which they operate nationally and internationally. The aim of this paper is to explore the lived experience of civil society participation in these contexts, both from the perspective of CSOs engaged in harm reduction advocacy, and the institutions they engage with, in order to inform future policy development. Methods This paper is based on the presentations and discussions from a workshop on ‘Civil Society Involvement in Drug Policy hosted by the Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network at the International Society for the Study of Drugs Policy (ISSDP) annual conference in Paris, 2019. In the aftermath of the workshop, the authors analysed the papers and discussions and identified the key themes arising to inform CSI in developing future harm reduction policy and practice. Results Civil society involvement (CSI) in policy decision-making and implementation is acknowledged as an important benefit to representative democracy. Yet, the accounts of CSOs demonstrate the challenges they experience in seeking to shape the contested field of drug policy. Negotiating the complex workings of political institutions, often in adversarial and heavily bureaucratic environments, proved difficult. Nonetheless, an increase in structures which formalised and resourced CSI enabled more meaningful participation at different levels and at different stages of policy making. Conclusions Civil society spaces are colonised by a broad range of civil society actors lobbying from different ideological standpoints including those advocating for a ‘drug free world’ and those advocating for harm reduction. In these competitive arena, it may be difficult for harm reduction orientated CSOs to influence the policy process. However, the current COVID-19 public health crisis clearly demonstrates the benefits of partnership between CSOs and political institutions to address the harm reduction needs of people who use drugs. The lessons drawn from our workshop serve to inform all partners on this pathway.

scholarly journals Could 30 years of political controversy on needle exchange programmes in Sweden contribute to scaling-up harm reduction services in the world?

2020 ◽  
pp. 145507252096501
Author(s):  
Niklas Karlsson ◽  
Torsten Berglund ◽  
Anna Mia Ekström ◽  
Anders Hammarberg ◽  
Tuukka Tammi
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Control Drug ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Events ◽  
Exchange Programmes

Aims: To end the hepatitis and AIDS epidemics in the world by 2030, countries are encouraged to scale-up harm reduction services and target people who inject drugs (PWID). Blood-borne viruses (BBV) among PWID spread via unsterile injection equipment sharing and to combat this, many countries have introduced needle and syringe exchange programmes (NEP), though not without controversy. Sweden’s long, complicated harm reduction policy transition has been deviant compared to the Nordic countries. After launch in 1986, no NEP were started in Sweden for 23 years, the reasons for which are analysed in this study. Methods: Policy documents, grey literature and research mainly published in 2000–2017 were collected and analysed using a hierarchical framework, to understand how continuous build-up of evidence, decisions and key events, over time influenced NEP development. Results: Sweden’s first NEP opened in a repressive-control drug policy era with a drug-free society goal. Despite high prevalence of BBV among PWID with recurring outbreaks, growing research and key-actor support including a NEP law, no NEP were launched. Political disagreements, fluctuating actor-coalitions, questioning of research, and a municipality veto against NEP, played critical roles. With an individual-centred perspective being brought into the drug policy domain, the manifestation of a dual drug and health policy track, a revised NEP law in 2017 and removal of the veto, Sweden would see fast expansion of new NEP. Conclusions: Lessons from the Swedish case could provide valuable insight for countries about to scale-up harm reduction services including how to circumvent costly time- and resource-intensive obstacles and processes involving ideological and individual moral dimensions.

scholarly journals A Sin or a Health Issue? : Morality Policy Framing and the State of Harm Reduction in East-Central Europe

Intersections ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-115
Author(s):  
Iga Jeziorska
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Selection Procedure ◽  
Needle Exchange ◽  
The State ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Morality Policy ◽  
East Central Europe ◽  
Policy Framing ◽  
Exchange Programmes

Aims. There are significant differences in harm reduction services availability and performance in various countries. The paper examines the state of one of the harm reduction interventions – needle exchange services – through the lenses of morality policy, attempting to establish possible relationships between policy framing and policy outcomes. Method. The research uses an explorative design with cross-country comparison. The unit of analysis is drug policy in a country, and the geographical scope includes Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, following the maximum variation case selection procedure. Countries’ drug strategies are analysed to identify the policy frames and data on needle exchange programmes are used to assess the state of harm reduction. Results. The analysis identified health and social drug policy framing in Czechia and Slovakia, morality frame in Hungary and no frame in Poland. The availability of availability and coverage of needle exchange programmes is the highest in Czechia, followed by Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. Conclusions. The Hungarian case confirms the relationship between morality framing and poor policy outcomes, while the Czech case between health framing and effective policy. Further research is needed to establish the function of morality framing as necessary and/or sufficient condition for unsatisfactory policy outcomes.

Harm Reduction and NFL Drug Policy

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Policy

"PROGRAMA DE BRAá‡OS ABERTOS" E AS POLáTICAS DE DROGAS NA SOCIEDADE DE CONTROLE: um diálogo histórico-antropológico

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 184-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
BEATRIZ BRANDáƒO ◽  
JONATAS CARVALHO
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
The Political ◽  
Therapeutic Communities ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Control Society ◽  
Treatment Models ◽  
Political Program ◽  
New Vision

Resumo:  O presente artigo tem por objetivo compreender alguns caminhos percorridos no contexto da polá­tica de drogas dentro de uma sociedade do controle, apresentando e problematizando esses dois conceitos. Para tal, foi analisado um programa polá­tico que foge das correntes definições e práticas encontradas até então: o Programa de Braços Abertos (DBA) implementado na gestão de Fernando Haddad, entre os anos de 2014 e 2016, na região da Cracolá¢ndia, em São Paulo. A região é reconhecida pelas intervenções polá­ticas com a prática higienista e compulsória, que vão de encontro á s liberdades individuais. A fim de compreender a nova visão e ação trazida pelo DBA frente a uma repetição histórica de gerências e operações, houve uma reflexão sobre a biopolá­tica, a atuação dos programas pastores e o lugar do DBA dentro do conjunto de tecnologias do dispositivo droga. Nesse tocante, outro objetivo desenvolvido foi situar as novas ordenações dos modelos de tratamento, como a Redução de Danos e as Comunidades Terapêuticas.  Palavras-chave:  Polá­tica de Drogas. Programas Pastores. Redução de Danos. Comunidades Terapêuticas. Cracolá¢ndia. De Braços Abertos.”THE OPEN ARMS PROGRAM” AND DRUGS POLITICS AT THE CONTROL SOCIETY”:  a historical-anthropological dialogue.  Abstract:  The purpose of this article is to comprehend some of the directions taken in the context of drug policy within a control society, presenting and problematizing these two concepts. For that, a political program was analyzed that is distinct from the current definitions and practices found until now. The program to be analyzed is the ”Programa de Braços Abertos (DBA)”, which was implemented under the management of Fernando Haddad, between 2014 and 2016, in the region of ”Cracolá¢ndia”, in São Paulo. This region is recognized by the political interventions with the hygienist and compulsory practices that go against individual freedoms.  In order to understand the new vision and action brought by the DBA against a historical repetition of managements and operations, there was a reflection on biopolitics, the work of pastoral programs and the place of DBA within the set of drug device technologies. At this point, another objective developed was to stablish the new ordinances of treatment models, such as Harm Reduction and Therapeutic Communities.Keywords:  Drug Policy.  Pastoral Programs.  Harm Reduction.  Therapeutic Communities.  Cracolá¢ndia. De Braços Abertos.  "PROGRAMA DE BRAZOS ABIERTOS" Y LAS POLáTICAS DE DROGAS EN LA SOCIEDAD DE CONTROL:  un diálogo histórico-antropológico  Resumen:  El presente artá­culo tiene por objetivo comprender algunos caminos recorridos en el contexto de la polá­tica de drogas dentro de una sociedad del control, presentando y problematizando esos dos conceptos. Para ello, se analizó un programa polá­tico que huye de las corrientes definiciones y prácticas encontradas hasta entonces: el Programa de Brazos Abiertos (DBA) implementado en la gestión de Fernando Haddad, entre los años 2014 y 2016, en la región de  Cracolá¢ndia, en São Paulo. La región es reconocida por las intervenciones polá­ticas con la práctica higienista y obligatoria, que van en contra de las libertades individuales. A fin de comprender la nueva visión y acción traá­da por el DBA frente a una repetición histórica de gerencias y operaciones, hubo una reflexión sobre la biopolá­tica, la actuación de los programas pastores y el lugar del DBA dentro del conjunto de tecnologá­as del dispositivo droga. En este contexto, otro objetivo desarrollado fue situar las nuevas ordenaciones de los modelos de tratamiento, como la Reducción de Daños y las Comunidades Terapéuticas.Palabras clave:  Polá­tica de Drogas. Programas Pastores. Reducción de Daños. Comunidades Terapéuticas. Cracolá¢ndia. De Brazos Abiertos.  ”LE PROGRAMME ဠBRAS OUVERTS” ET LES POLITIQUES DE DROGUES DANS LA SOCIÉTÉ DE CONTRá”LE: un dialogue historico-anthropologiqueRésume:  Cet article vise á  étudier quelques cheminements empruntés par la politique des drogues dans le contexte d”™une société de contrôle, tout en présentant et en problématisant ces deux concepts. Pour cela, les auteurs se concentrent sur un programme politique qui échappe aux définitions courantes et aux pratiques identifiées jusqu”™á  présent: le programme «  á€ Bras Ouverts (DBA)   » implanté au cours du mandat du préfet Fernando Haddad, entre les années 2014 et 2016, dans la région de la  cracolá¢ndia, á  São Paulo. Cette région est réputée pour avoir fait l”™objet d”™interventions politiques inspirées par les pratiques hygiénistes, fondées sur la contrainte et qui vont á  l”™encontre des libertés individuelles. Afin de comprendre la nouvelle vision et les nouvelles pratiques promues par le DBA, par contraste avec la répétition des programmes et actions antérieurs, les auteurs réfléchissent sur les formes de la biopolitique, le rôle des «  programmes pastoraux   », et la place du DBA á  l”™intérieur d”™un ensemble de technologies propres aux dispositifs de gouvernement des drogues. Un autre aspect de leur travail consiste á  examiner les nouveaux impératifs contenus dans ces modá¨les de traitement comme la Réduction des Risques et les Communautés thérapeutiques.Mots-clés:  Politique des Drogues. Programmes Pastoraux. Réductions de Risques. Communautés thérapeutiques. Cracolá¢ndia. De Braços Abertos

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