Harm Reduction as an Essential Part of a Comprehensive Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

On June 28, 2023, The National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives hosted a congressional briefing to discuss the policy relevance of harm reduction strategies to improve the physical and mental health and aid in the recovery of people of all ages who are using psychoactive substances, including opioids. Harm reduction is an effective public health policy that protects people who use drugs from other illnesses and injuries while they work to manage their usage and related health conditions. Some strategies include medications such as methadone and Narcan, as well as Good Samaritan Laws and stigma-reducing language. Support for these measures from health care professionals and policymakers is a critical piece of a comprehensive plan to combat the opioid epidemic. People living with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) face various obstacles as an extension of their disorder. Many experience difficulty accessing the care they need to remain safe and healthy. This scenario is often compounded by the stigma people living with OUD face, in both daily interactions and healthcare encounters that are dehumanizing and discriminatory. OUD is a mental illness that requires intensive and longstanding treatment to lead the patient toward recovery. However, the public is not well informed about the nature of addiction; that it is not a sign of moral weakness or lack of volition, but rather, is a neurological and psychological disorder. Strikingly, only around a quarter of doctors receive addiction education during their medical training. This lack of understanding about the condition results in stigma, negative perceptions of medications that treat OUD, and reduced support for efforts that would otherwise benefit people with OUD. The consequences are dire for these individuals’ physical and mental health, relationships, employment and housing opportunities, and access to medical care. Harm reduction measures have been implemented in several cities in the US. However, in other localities, harm reduction efforts are met with opposition by the public and policymakers who harbor misconceptions about the disease and believe harm reduction encourages illicit drug use. By increasing our understanding of the condition and incorporating scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of harm reduction into federal and local policymaking, routine medical training, and continued education, we can ensure that patients with OUD will have access to the care they need and that the potential to break the intergenerational cycle of addiction can be realized.