In the few years since the first international conference on the reduction of drug related harm held in liverpool in 1990 the term harm reduction has gained wide currency in both public health and drug policy perhaps this is because of the vacuum that existed before that time when an . Harm reduction a new direction for drug policies and programs david r buchanan journal of public health policy volume 19 pages 375 376 1998cite this article 13 accesses download to read the full article text authors search for david r buchanan in pubmed o google scholar rights and permissions reprints and permissions about this article cite this article buchanan d harm . Harm reduction an approach which encompasses various policy directives and program initiatives was inspired by the positive outcomes of such public measures as needle exchange programs for reduction of hiv risk methadone maintenance programs education on the risks of tobacco use and programs designed to limit alcohol consumptionthe essays in this book illustrate the scope and vigour of . Harm reduction a new direction for drug policies and programs edited by patricia g erickson diane m riley yuet w cheung and patrick a ohare since the first international conference on the reduction of drug related harm held in 1990 the term harm reduction has gained wide currency in the areas of public health and drug policy previously the field was characterized by heated