Table 1 Harm Reduction Principles from the National Harm Reduction Coalition

1. Accepts the reality of drug use and works to minimize its harmful effects rather than condemning them

2. Understands drug use as a complex continuum of behaviors that range from severe use to total abstinence and acknowledges that some methods of using drugs are safer than others

3. Positions the holistic wellbeing of individuals and communities as the primary measure of successful interventions and policies, not necessarily abstinence from substances

4. Promotes the non-judgmental, non-coercive provision of services and resources to folks who use drugs to assist them in reducing attendant harm

5. Ensures that people with lived experience of drug use have influential roles in the creation of programs and policies that serve and affect them

6. Situates people who use drugs as autonomous agents of risk reduction and empowers communities with the information and resources they need to mutually support one another in ways that are tailored to their conditions of use

7. Understands that social inequities such as poverty, class, racism, sexism, social isolation, and past trauma can impact people’s vulnerability to and ability to effectively respond to drug-related harm

8. Does not disregard nor minimize the very real and tragic harms that can be associated with substance use