The Social Practice of Harm Reduction in Argentina: A "Latin" Kind of Intervention

Harris, Shana

doi:10.17730/0018-7259-75.1.1

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…2. Such a focus is part of the "social practice" of harm reduction in Argentina (Harris, 2016), which is attentive to the role of social, political economic, and historical factors in producing, reproducing, and exacerbating drugrelated harm. 3.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possessing Drugs, Possessing Rights: Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Argentina

Harris

2021

Contemporary Drug Problems

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Argentina’s national drug law, Law 23.737, has been in effect since 1989. Based on prohibitionist drug policy, this law was intended to severely punish drug traffickers and protect the public from drug use-related health concerns. However, it has failed to achieve these goals, and instead targets people who use drugs (PWUD) and brands them “criminals.” In response, the Argentine government announced its intent to reform Law 23.737 in 2008, sparking widespread debate among health, legal, and social service professionals. This article discusses this debate from the perspective of harm reductionists, those who work to reduce the negative effects of drug use rather than eliminate drug use or ensure abstinence. Drawing on archival research and 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Argentina, this article examines the positionality of harm reductionists in this drug policy reform, particularly the controversial proposal to decriminalize drug possession for personal use. Demonstrating their contention that Argentina’s legal apparatus is a major contributor to PWUD’s discrimination, stigmatization, and isolation from health and social services, I argue that challenging these problems through policy engagement allows Argentine harm reductionists to draw attention to the broader question of PWUD’s rights and to ultimately recast PWUD as rights-bearing citizens.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possessing Drugs, Possessing Rights: Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Argentina

Harris

2021

Contemporary Drug Problems

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“…The importance of a holistic and contextual approach described in our findings is similar to Harris' (2016) description of an Argentinian harm reduction approach that focuses on utilizing a social orientation to drug use, risk, and harm. According to Harris (2016), harm reduction interventions must be situated in the contexts in which users live and operate. Harris (2016) distinguished between a social form of harm reduction and a neoliberal approach, which is associated with the "global north," critiquing neoliberal approaches to health that advocate technical solutions to changing individuals' behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Harris (2016), harm reduction interventions must be situated in the contexts in which users live and operate. Harris (2016) distinguished between a social form of harm reduction and a neoliberal approach, which is associated with the "global north," critiquing neoliberal approaches to health that advocate technical solutions to changing individuals' behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harm reduction in a Norwegian housing first project: a qualitative study of the treatment providers’ practice

Andvig

Sælør

Ogundipe

2018

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Purpose Little is known about how harm reduction is practiced in Norwegian housing first (HF) projects. The purpose of this paper is to explore, describe, and interpret how providers apply a harm reduction approach within a housing project focused on individuals who are homeless with co-morbid substance use and mental health problems. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study was part of a larger evaluation study of a three-year HF project in a Norwegian municipality. Data were collected using four multi-stage focus groups with five providers working in the HF project. Focus group interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings Analysis resulted in three main themes: “Letting the service user sit in the driver’s seat,” “We don’t follow service provision contracts, we do everything,” and “Collaborating with the local community.” Research limitations/implications There is a need to develop increased knowledge about service users’ experiences within the harm reduction approach. Practical implications To practice effective harm reduction, treatment providers must have open authorizations and the opportunity to exercise professional judgment. Harm reduction practice must also focus on social, political, and economic factors influencing users’ everyday lives. Originality/value The paper contributes to the knowledge base on harm reduction within HF practice that differs from a traditional model wherein clients are expected to abstain from substance use. It highlights important preconditions for challenges practitioners might encounter at both individual and service system levels.

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“…Harm reduction as a technical solution refers to interventions that are decontextualized and have the primary purpose of facilitating behavioral changes that are deemed necessary to reduce the harms associated with drug use (Harris, ). Examples of a technical approach to harm reduction include supervised consumption sites and opioid agonist therapy.…”

Section: Harm Reduction As a Technical Solution Versus A Social Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Harm reduction as a social practice, on the other hand, refers to interventions that are nuanced and are situated within the contextualized—social, economic, political—lifeworld of PWUD (Harris, ). A social approach to harm reduction means that interventions take into consideration the impact of social factors such as stigma and discrimination on access to services (Ahern, Stuber, & Galea, ; Lang et al., ).…”

Section: Harm Reduction As a Technical Solution Versus A Social Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Harm reduction: Philosophical drivers of conceptual tensions and ways forward

Jiao

2019

Nursing Inquiry

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Of the various debates surrounding harm reduction, a conceptual tension that perhaps has the most relevance for the provision of services is that of harm reduction as a technical solution versus a contextualized social practice. The aim of this paper was to examine this conceptual tension. First, the two perspectives will be presented through the use of examples. Second, philosophical drivers that serve to underpin and justify each perspective will be explicated at the level of the knowledge that we privilege; the ideologies that we subscribe to; and the interests that we stand to serve. In this paper, I argue that the existing tension between technical and social approaches to harm reduction is embedded within discord pertaining to ways of knowing, paradigms of inquiry, prevailing ideologies, and notions of harm and risk. Building on these sources of tension, I suggest a means of philosophical reconciliation between the two approaches and ways forward, namely through acknowledging multiple sources of knowledge, through embracing paradigmatic incommensurability, through considering alternative conceptions of people who use drugs as political subjects, through involving service providers and end‐users in shared decision‐making, and lastly through reaffirming people who use drugs as the intended beneficiaries of services.

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The Social Practice of Harm Reduction in Argentina: A "Latin" Kind of Intervention

Cited by 11 publications

References 44 publications

Possessing Drugs, Possessing Rights: Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Argentina

Possessing Drugs, Possessing Rights: Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform in Argentina

Harm reduction in a Norwegian housing first project: a qualitative study of the treatment providers’ practice

Harm reduction: Philosophical drivers of conceptual tensions and ways forward

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