Harm reduction approaches are viewed by many as the most humane and effective ways to deal with the problems associated with alcohol and drugs in society. For example, violent crime and AIDS are drug-related problems which may be seen as far worse that the direct effects of the drugs themselves, and from a harm reduction perspective many policies and programmes need to be modified to reflect this reality. Such interventions can be provided through general practitioners, hospitals, schools and other systems already in place, thereby reducing. For example, the November issue of the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association contains a special supplement on the role of medical profession in alcohol prevention. A number of articles summarize new and compelling evidence on the effectiveness of early detection and brief interventions by family physicians for patients in the early stages in the development of alcohol problems.
Most persons visit their family physician on a yearly basis.
Furthermore, brief interventions in the form of a few minutes counselling by the physician have been found to be very effective preventive measures. The government should view such early detection and intervention measures by family physicians and others such as community health specialists as an important, cost effective adjunct to the overall treatment system, and give it full support. Given that many users inject their drugs, this raises the alarming prospect of the spread of AIDS and other infections. Therefore, we support the Committee's recommendation for the expansion of methadone services. However, we would also like to register some reservations about current programmes and suggest that modifications be investigated and considered.