The dangerous links between morality and science: a practical application to harm reduction

The growing importance given to scientific arguments, particularly neurobiological and epidemiological arguments, in the field of addiction, both in terms of clinical treatment and public policy decisions, raises the question of the place of scientific discourse in this type of debate, particularly in the face of arguments deemed to be “moral” or “ethical”. Without calling into question the fundamental nature of the scientific advances made possible by the technological progress of recent decades, the aim is to examine the distinction that is often hastily drawn between science and morality, often to the detriment of the latter. Taking the war on drugs and harm reduction as examples, we might ask whether an honest reflection on the complexity of such issues would not benefit from accepting their intrinsically ethical dimension, in order to avoid the pitfall of speaking only in terms of effectiveness and social costs, the definition of which tends to be swept under the carpet.