The Force of Weak Methods: Risk Reduction Policy with Regard to Drugs

The French conversion to a "risk reduction policy" (corresponding to the "harm reduction policies" in other countries) is generally interpreted as an indication of change of paradigm regarding drug addiction. However, it can be viewed as a form of political rearrangement of the d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cahiers internationaux de sociologie 2003-01, Vol.114, p.93-108
Main Author: Trepos, Jean-Yves
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Drug Abuse
Drug Addiction
European Union
France
Harm Reduction
Public Policy
Risk
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Summary:The French conversion to a "risk reduction policy" (corresponding to the "harm reduction policies" in other countries) is generally interpreted as an indication of change of paradigm regarding drug addiction. However, it can be viewed as a form of political rearrangement of the drug addiction field, defining new, lower thresholds for receiving treatment & services. The examination of the world vision that sustains these policies in France as well as in other countries of the European Union shows that the autonomist world vision together with a compensatory & additive one was formerly implanted. This is doubtlessly why, at various levels, there is a real shift between voluntary measures linked to these public policies & the contexts in which they take place: whether it concerns professional or amateur promoters, or the beneficiaries, everyone seems to accommodate to a minimal functioning of these mechanisms, verifying once again the strength of these weak links. 23 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0008-0276