A group of academics and researchers is working to normalize radical harm reduction for children as young as four or five through a new drug education guide for Canadian youth. The guide, published in June by the group Anchoring Change, uses the term "harm minimization" instead of "harm reduction" and applies to students beginning in kindergarten.
Vague Language and Guiding Principles
The guide lists guiding principles including trauma-informed practices, equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, culturally responsive practices, student voice, and harm minimization. The language is intentionally vague to avoid controversy, according to critics. While it does not contain explicit descriptions of harm reduction interventions, it emphasizes "anti-stigma" approaches to drug use and providing "stigma-free information," suggesting that drug use should not be prevented in all cases but merely delayed or reduced.
The guide mentions "age-appropriate literacy" for students without citing specific examples. Critics question whether kindergarteners might be shown crack pipes, as "developmentally appropriate" can vary widely among teachers. It also references "confidential pathways to brief intervention and care," potentially leaving parents unaware of their children's substance use.
Groups Involved and Media Coverage
The guide has received positive coverage from the CBC, which described its recommendations as "age-appropriate" and quoted a researcher who assured that kindergarteners would not receive "detailed drug education." Groups involved in creating the report include Wellstream (a University of British Columbia research initiative on youth substance abuse), the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), the Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA), Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada, and the Students Commission of Canada.
Definition of Harm Minimization
Emily Jenkins, scientific director of Wellstream and a nursing professor at the University of British Columbia, explained in an email that Anchoring Change deliberately chose "harm minimization" because it more accurately describes the nationwide education standard. "'Harm reduction' in common usage refers to a specific set of services, things like naloxone distribution or supervised consumption, which are oriented toward people who are already using substances," she said. "'Harm minimization' spans the full continuum: preventing use in the first place, delaying initiation for those who haven't started, and reducing harm if use does occur."
Jenkins added that in a school setting, where most students are not using substances, prevention and delay are the primary emphasis. However, in academia, the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. The Australian government uses "minimization" as a catch-all term for drug strategy that includes harm reduction elements like decriminalization and needle programs. Critics argue that "harm minimization" obfuscates and cannot be separated from activist-driven harm reduction programs that have appeared to increase harms in Canada. For instance, British Columbia is now seeing a reduction in overdose deaths following the end of Premier David Eby's failed drug decriminalization experiment.
