Harm Reduction Isn't Enough: Why We Need to Aim Higher

As we recently observed Harm Reduction Day 2025, I want to offer a challenge.

Harm reduction saves lives, and we at Kaleidoscope are proud to provide needle exchanges, naloxone, BBV testing, drug checking, and compassionate, non-judgemental support. But if all we do is reduce harm, we’re not dreaming big enough.

Setting our sights higher

What social justice movement sets its sights on less harm, rather than real justice? Harm reduction must be the floor, not the ceiling – the starting point for a vision that centres hope, dignity, and a life worth living for everyone.

I worry when harm reduction becomes too closely aligned with unrelated causes. Global issues like the situation in Palestine and Israel, deforestation in the Amazon, or the climate crisis are incredibly important. However, it’s also essential to recognise that harm reduction has a distinct focus and not treat the issues synonymously

More than maintenance

At Kaleidoscope, we believe people deserve more. We support harm reduction not because it is ideal, but because for many, it is all they have. But our job doesn’t end there.

We must also help people aspire, imagine, and discover a better life. Through co-production, we work alongside people who use drugs and alcohol to design services that meet their needs, reflect their experiences, and open the door to new possibilities. This might mean abstinence. It might not. What matters is that people are empowered to choose, to speak, and to hope.

Beyond survival to discovery

I refuse to believe that “reducing harm” is all we can offer. People deserve more than maintenance. They deserve discovery. They deserve love, care, and services that do not demand recovery on a deadline.

Hope takes time. So, our services must be unconditional. Our compassion must be unwavering. And our ambition for people must always go beyond harm reduction.

The people we work with don’t just need safer ways to use substances – though that’s essential. They need communities that welcome them, opportunities that inspire them, and support that believes in them even when they struggle to believe in themselves.

A vision of possibility

Harm reduction is where we begin, not where we end. It’s the foundation upon which we build a vision of what life could be – not just less harmful but truly fulfilling.

This isn’t about imposing our ideas of a good life on others. It’s about creating spaces where people can discover their own vision of what makes life worth living, and then walking alongside them as they pursue it.

At Kaleidoscope, we’re committed to this fuller vision – one that starts with reducing harm but reaches toward helping people find meaning, purpose, and joy. Because everyone deserves not just to survive, but to thrive.