4. Harm reduction for cannabis related problems in Europe and beyond

Harm reduction has traditionally focused on opioids, but in recent years European countries have begun to extend these activities to cover other substances, including stimulants and cannabis. Consumer protection or harm reduction interventions focusing on cannabis can include a wide range of interventions at different levels. This presentation will describe a typology of cannabisrelated harm reduction interventions and provide an overview of the interventions that have been implemented in Europe.

The project comprises three elements: a systematic review of the literature on harm reduction interventions for cannabis-related problems, the identification of examples of harm reduction interventions for cannabis-related problems in Europe, using multiple data sources and consulting with a group of experts regarding the identification of best practices.

Cannabis-related harm reduction interventions include consumer protection initiatives like drug testing to the provision of information on safer use (such as avoiding mixing cannabis with tobacco, using clean paraphernalia or choosing ingestion rather than smoking). Some of these initiatives are consumer-led and take place online, exploiting innovative modes of delivery such as social networks.

The work is ongoing and at Lisbon Addictions 2022 the full results of this project will be presented.