What Cannabis Harm Reduction Means to Us

When we talk about cannabis harm reduction at Let’s Budvocate, we’re not talking about telling people to quit, cut down or consume in a specific way. For us, it’s about meeting people where they’re at, with honesty, care and respect.

People consume cannabis for many different reasons. For some it’s recreational, for enjoyment, creativity and/ or connection. For others it’s a medication used for sleep, pain and/ or mental health. Often it’s a mix of all of that and for many people it’s not as simple as “just stop” or “just moderate”.

We know that because we’ve lived it.

Support instead of judgement

Cannabis harm reduction, to us, is about giving people practical and accurate information so they can make informed choices about their own consumption.

It looks like:

• reducing unnecessary harms without shame, stigma or discrimination

• supporting people even when their consumption isn’t “perfect”

• creating space to reflect rather than trying to control behaviours

• recognising that abstinence-only messages don’t work for everyone

This includes talking openly about everyday, often overlooked risks. Things like using plastic bongs, holding in smoke/ vapor or mixing cannabis with tobacco. Not to scare people, but because people deserve to know what they’re actually being exposed to and to be able to make changes if and when they’re ready.

We don’t believe people should have to reach a breaking point before they deserve support.

Holding more than one truth

We believe cannabis can be beneficial and we also believe it can cause harm if it’s consumed unconsciously or without support. Both things can be true at the same time. Ignoring potential harms doesn’t help anyone but neither does fear mongering, punishment, stigma or judgement.

For us, harm reduction is about responding to reality with care, understanding and choice.

Shaped by lived experience

Our approach is shaped by lived and living experience. We know what it’s like to consume cannabis in ways that carry harms or don’t always feel intentional. We know what it’s like to feel confused, defensive or ashamed about our consumption. We know what it’s like to not see ourselves reflected in mainstream education and to wish better resources existed earlier.

Let’s Budvocate exists because we wanted to help create the kind of support we wish we’d had when we needed it the most. Something clearer, more honest and a lot kinder.

Conscious, not controlled

We focus on conscious consumption, not rigid rules.

For us, conscious consumption isn’t about being perfect or constantly monitoring yourself. It’s about awareness over time. That might mean changing how you consume, learning how tolerance actually works, taking breaks without pressure, getting clearer on why you consume cannabis or noticing patterns without judging yourself for them.

Progress doesn’t have to be linear. Awareness on its own is already a form of harm reduction and conscious consumption.

Community over judgement

At its core, harm reduction is about care.

Care for our bodies, our minds, our communities, our culture and our future.

We don’t believe people need fixing. We believe people need better support, better tools and a lot less stigma.

That’s what cannabis harm reduction means to us.

Let’s Budvocate is an educational, community focused social enterprise. We focus on peer education, not individual advice. We’re not a medical or crisis service. What we aim to do is provide accessible information, shared learning and community spaces that support people to make their own informed choices.

This way of thinking guides everything we do at Let’s Budvocate, from education and resources to community spaces and advocacy. This is part of an ongoing conversation, which you can continue on Instagram, in our online community or by exploring related resources on the site.