Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Phase I Reactions: Reductive Reactions01:27

Phase I Reactions: Reductive Reactions

422
Phase I biotransformation reductive reactions are chemical processes that modify drugs by introducing or revealing polar functional groups via reduction. Enzymes called reductases catalyze these reactions, playing a pivotal role in drug metabolism by transforming lipophilic drugs into more polar, water-soluble metabolites for easy excretion. An essential type of reductive reaction is the carbonyl group reduction, where aldehydes and ketones are reduced to alcohols. An example is the...
422
Alcohols from Carbonyl Compounds: Reduction02:23

Alcohols from Carbonyl Compounds: Reduction

11.6K
Reduction is a simple strategy to convert a carbonyl group to a hydroxyl group. The three major pathways to reduce carbonyls to alcohols are catalytic hydrogenation, hydride reduction, and borane reduction.
Catalytic hydrogenation is similar to the reduction of an alkene or alkyne by adding H2 across the pi bond in the presence of transition metal catalysts like Raney Ni, Pd–C, Pt, or Ru. Aldehydes and ketones can be reduced by this method, often under mild to moderate heat (25–100°C) and...
11.6K
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena01:15

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

951
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not...
951
Drug Dependence01:17

Drug Dependence

1.4K
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
1.4K
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs01:02

Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs

1.0K
Prescription drugs require a prescription from a medical practitioner and can only be obtained from a pharmacy. They have many applications, including treating pain, anxiety, and hypertension.
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
1.0K
Preparation of Amines: Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Ketones01:38

Preparation of Amines: Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Ketones

3.4K
Carbonyl compounds and primary amines undergo reductive amination first to produce imines, followed by secondary amines in the same reaction mixture, using selective reducing agents like sodium cyanoborohydride or sodium triacetoxyborohydride. Reductive amination produces different degrees of substitution of amines depending on the starting amine substrate.
3.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

How global is global health research? A large-scale analysis of trends in authorship.

BMJ global health·2021
Same author

Defining global health as public health somewhere else.

BMJ global health·2020
Same author

The impact of social and psychological consequences of disease on judgments of disease severity: An experimental study.

PloS one·2018
Same journal

The Ulysses Framework: A Navigational Approach to Complexity in Forensic Psychiatric Practice.

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy·2026
Same journal

Access, Equity and Ethical Challenges in Assisted Reproductive Technologies in India: An Empirical Bioethics Analysis.

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy·2026
Same journal

From Static Risk Estimates to Dynamic Clinical Trajectories: A Conceptual Analysis of Perioperative Medicine.

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy·2026
Same journal

Access to Cancer Medicines in Türkiye Through Legal Avenues: An Analysis from the Perspective of Medical Ethics.

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy·2026
Same journal

Holostasis: Health as Personal Orientation in an Anthropological Framework.

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy·2026
Same journal

Evidence-Based Planning of High-Complexity Healthcare Networks at National Level: Integrating Mortality Records, Accessibility Metrics, and Facility Location Optimization Models.

Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 2, 2025

A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
08:05

A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers

Published on: January 5, 2018

10.0K

Harm Reduction: A Misnomer.

Nicholas B King1

  • 1Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. nicholas.king@mcgill.ca.

Health Care Analysis : HCA : Journal of Health Philosophy and Policy
|November 5, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Harm reduction programs are often justified by utilitarianism, but this paper argues their origins and implementation are not utilitarian. The author suggests abandoning the term "harm reduction" due to its misleading justification.

Keywords:
EthicsHarm reductionJusticePhilosophyUtilitarianism

More Related Videos

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence
08:05

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence

Published on: March 23, 2022

2.8K
A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats
10:35

A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats

Published on: November 11, 2013

11.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 2, 2025

A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
08:05

A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers

Published on: January 5, 2018

10.0K
A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence
08:05

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence

Published on: March 23, 2022

2.8K
A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats
10:35

A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats

Published on: November 11, 2013

11.5K

Area of Science:

  • Public Health Ethics
  • Social Policy Analysis
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Harm reduction programs are widely justified using utilitarian principles, focusing on minimizing overall harm from specific behaviors.
  • This approach assumes that the net benefit of reducing harm outweighs potential drawbacks or alternative strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the ethical and practical foundations of harm reduction programs.
  • To challenge the prevailing utilitarian justification for harm reduction initiatives.
  • To propose an alternative framework for understanding and naming these interventions.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of the historical development and moral underpinnings of harm reduction.
  • Examination of the practical implementation challenges and ethical inconsistencies of utilitarian justifications.
  • Conceptual critique of the term "harm reduction" and its public discourse.

Main Results:

  • The historical origins and core moral imperatives of harm reduction are not rooted in utilitarianism.
  • The practical application of harm reduction programs faces significant challenges in adhering to utilitarian calculations.
  • Continued reliance on utilitarian justifications for harm reduction is ethically problematic and potentially counterproductive.

Conclusions:

  • The utilitarian justification for harm reduction programs is philosophically and practically untenable.
  • The term "harm reduction" is a misnomer that obscures the programs' deeper ethical commitments.
  • Abandoning the term "harm reduction" is recommended to foster a more accurate and ethically sound understanding of these interventions.