Health Canada describes harm reduction measures as evidence-based initiatives that help reduce the negative health, social and economic impacts of substance use, and gives drug checking at a supervised consumption site as one example (Health Canada). The idea is to lower harm without making help depend on stopping.
Canadian law supports one strand of it. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act of 2017 added section 4.1 to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Justice Laws, S.C. 2017, c. 4), which protects a person who seeks help for a life-threatening, substance-induced medical emergency from a simple possession charge when the evidence came from seeking help (Justice Laws, section 4.1).
In the psychedelic world the phrase is also used for community advice; a 2025 paper in the Harm Reduction Journal collected such advice for first experiences (Kruger et al., 2025). This glossary describes the concept only. It gives no advice about using any substance, and nothing here is legal advice.
General information, not medical advice. In an emergency in Canada, call 911. For a mental-health crisis, call or text 9-8-8.
Sources
- Health Canada: Substance use services and supports
- Justice Laws: Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, section 4.1
- Justice Laws: Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, S.C. 2017, c. 4
- Kruger et al. (2025), Harm Reduction Journal
Last checked .