Controlling HIV among injecting drug users: the current status of harm reduction.

HIV among injecting drug users is now a critical issue in global HIV control. Harm reduction strategies have been considered effective, safe and affordable for at least 15 years. In this article, based on a plenary presentation at the conference, Alex Wodak argues that the scientific debate about harm reduction is now over and that the paramount need is to overcome the conventional reliance on drug law enforcement, the major barrier to implementing harm reduction strategies in time and at sufficient scale.