nd disabilities. Those that are opposed to harm reduction feel that its advocates are hypocrites that call for tougher policies in dealing with alcohol and tobacco yet in the same breath call for reductions in the penalties for illegal drug use. Opponents also believe that initiating a harm reduction policy may in fact increase the use of illegal drugs as well as the people that are seeking drug treatment.Robert J. MacCoun, is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Public policy at the University of California and author of Toward a Psychology of Harm Reduction. Professor MacCoun also supports the movement towards a harm reduction approach to drugs. He explains how the harm reduction movement emerged in Amsterdam in the 1980’s in response to mounting heath issues directly related to the use of drugs. Professor MacCoun illustrates that harm reduction is not a program that has been proven effective in the war on drugs, being constantly rejected as a viable option to present drug enforcement policy by the United States government. Professor MacCoun illustrates however that the policies that the U.S. presently has in place has failed in its ability to eliminate drug use thus causing the major harms of drug use in place. Professor MacCoun believes that many of the drug related problems we have today are a result of poor legislation as well as the psychopharmacological effects that they have. He believes that many of the drug related problems are the fault of the government’s prohibition and enforcement policies. Professor MacCoun states that, “these problems would be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, under a regime of legal availability”. His articles state that legalizing drugs is not the answer to the drug problem in the U.S. Professor MacCoun does believe however that the change must begin with individual levels of drug use before we can begin to use law enforcement as “an indirect means...
