Basically, it drives people to hide their use, which means that people will hide their use and use in a much more risky way. They will not tell other people that they are using.... Harm reduction is a pragmatic approach. It really accepts people where they are and then works with people to help them work through things. Abstinence is not the answer for everybody, and we actually find abstinence can cause more damage. If people go into treatment and there's an abstinence base, if they do try using again, they're more likely to have an overdose because they've lost their tolerance. I think an abstinence-based approach may suit some people, but the vast majority really need a harm reduction approach, and opioid agonist therapy and other things to help stabilize things and help them move along.
On September 20th, 2016. See this statement in context.