An Honest Conversation About Drugs

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Australia are teaming up with DanceWize for an introductory-level harm reduction workshop!

What’s harm reduction you ask?

The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) defines harm reduction as the ‘policies, programmes and practices that aim to reduce the harms associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people unable or unwilling to stop. The defining features are the focus on the prevention of harm, rather than on the prevention of drug use itself, and the focus on people who continue to use drugs.’

Harm reduction has been a principle of Australian governments’ approach to drug use for several decades, beginning in the 1980s when the first needle syringe program was first introduced.

A ‘harm reduction’ approach to drugs is about trying to reduce the harms associated with drug use, without necessarily reducing drug use itself.

Why would you need to know about that? Because drug use happens! And we want to make it safer.

For over a century, The War on Drugs has failed to reduce the supply of drugs, and in fact they’re more widely used than ever — For example, according to triple j’s What’s Up In Your World? survey, illicit drug use amongst young Australian’s is increasing.

TRIPLE J – HACK
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