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Harm reduction in Australia: has it worked? A review
Author(s) -
HAWKS DAVID,
LENTON SIMON
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1080/09595239500185381
Subject(s) - harm , harm reduction , drug , political science , psychology , criminology , public relations , medicine , psychiatry , law , nursing , public health
The literature is reviewed with a view to determining what evidence exists for the success of Australia's policy of harm minimization in relation to drug use. While there are relatively few examples of strategies which can unequivocally be said to have succeeded, there are many more for which the evidence is suggestive. While there has been a considerable mushrooming of research since the advent of the National Campaign on Drag Abuse, it would appear that little of this has measured the extent to which harm has been reduced. The National Drug Strategy would benefit from more policy‐orientated research which measures drug‐related harm if it is to be, as claimed, research driven.