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DDN061106
[…] might be better used to ensure the continuation of current services. Brian Arbery, chief executive, ADAPT Victim of the ‘Danos effect’ A huge round of applause for Kevin Flemen, for highlighting the ‘DANOS effect’ (DDN, 23 October, page 6). I have recently moved from my home town of Nottingham to a different city, after handing […]
DDN051107new2
[…] to challenge the drug strategy and improve drug and alcohol treatment in the UK – let’s embrace it! Sean Corbett, director, Ethos Charity Solutions Ltd Professional conduct Kevin Flemen’s letter ‘Alternative Charlatans’ (DDN, 10 September, page 8) drew attention to gaps in the regulatory framework for drug and alcohol treatment. We have already made clear […]
Before it’s too late
[…] had more than enough time to prepare for the crisis we’re facing with nitazenes and other synthetic opioids. It’s vital we do the right things now, says Kevin Flemen. We should be very concerned about the issue of high-potency novel opioids. While increased media coverage and the establishment of a ‘cross-government task force on synthetic […]
DDN041206
[…] support to generic staff, as well as onsite needle exchange and prescribing facilities. Round-the-clock cover from properly trained staff was proven to reduce drug-related deaths, he added. Kevin Flemen from KFx emphasised that people stood a much better chance of avoiding health problems when they were housed – although he emphasised that ‘housing’ did not […]
DDN2409
[…] more cause for complaint. Kenneth Eckersley, former magistrate, retired justice of the peace, founder and chief executive officer of CEPTA. Baby... bath water I read with interest Kevin Flemen’s letter ‘alternative charlatans’ (DDN,10 September, page 8) in which he ex- pressed concern about gaps in the regulatory framework for drug services and asked, ‘what is […]
DDN June 2020
[…] ultimately, off the streets. This has alloweb peoplse to builb up tolerance to novel benzos at EDUCATION Improving our understanding of benzodiazepines would save many lives, says Kevin Flemen THE BENZO TRAP N on-mebical use of benzobiazepines creates big challenges for treatment services. There neeb to be significanst changes in how we responb if we […]
A Tangled Web: drug purchasing on the darknet
The ‘darknet’ online marketplace has experienced significant turbulence lately, affecting the availability of different drugs. Be ready for the impact, says Kevin Flemen.
DDN2801
[…] to be some kind of mechanism for a member of the general public to look at a website and know whether something has safeguards and guarantees,’ says Kevin Flemen of KFx. ‘The wider public don’t know the differences between all the different organisations and treatments. Compare a new age clinic and a hypnotherapist both doing […]
A guide to fentanyl – Meet the fentanyls
With a vast range of forms and potencies, the fentanyl family bring too many unknowns. Kevin Flemen gives an essential guide. Click here to read it in DDN Magazine Kevin Flemen, KFX training Another day, another drug warning – lately we’ve had drug scare after drug scare. There was flesh-eating Krokodil, Bath Salt cannibals, Hippy […]
View from the flipchart
[…] effective workforce needs high quality training.We need to look at staff training urgently if we’re going to tackle a skills deficit fuelled by underinvestment and lockdown, says Kevin Flemen. This is my twentieth year working fulltime as an independent trainer in the drug sector. Two decades of flipcharts, the odour of marker pens and the […]
DDN231006
[…] alcohol professionals and have to be addressed, says Tim Morrison. Are we cutting off valuable exper tise from the wider field by insisting on DANOS qualifications?, asks Kevin Flemen. 6 Residential futures Richard Phillips joins the debate on the future of residential rehab with some constructive suggestions on how we can build capacity through funding, […]
Matters of Life and Death
Kevin Flemen confronts a topic we all need to talk about.
Long Hot Summer
[…] that young people are once again turning to outdoor partying on a large scale. Drug services are going to have to get creative about harm reduction, says Kevin Flemen. In many post-apocalyptic films there’s an unbearably naff sequence where everyone has a party. It’s like The Matrix Reloaded ‘Zion dance party’ and usually involves everyone […]
Crack Cocaine – Cracks in the mirror
Kevin Flemen runs the drugs education and training initiative, KFx Could a recent growth in crack cocaine use indicate its move to social acceptability – and how should we respond? Kevin Flemen examines the situation. Read the full article in the June 2018 issue of DDN Stigma-driven barriers between powder cocaine and crack may be […]
Semantic challenge
The language of new drugs can be unhelpful at best and risky at worst. Kevin Flemen offers a guide Our KFx training course Cats, Bees and Dragonflies explores the subject of newer, emerging drugs, and one of the issues we address very early on is the frame of reference. This inevitably brings up the vexed […]
DDN051003
[…] Cover story Letting go William Pryor gives a challenging approach to addiction in the first of a two-parter on ‘unhooked thinking’. 6 No ID – no methadone? Kevin Flemen examines proposed changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, as a result of the Shipman Inquir y. 9 Reaching past violence Michelle Newcomb looks at how […]
DDN060424
[…] Media watch |4 Features Cover story Tough questions for tough choices Drug testing on arrest has raised serious questions that the Home Office can not ignore, says Kevin Flemen. It should never mean compromising human rights, adds Daren Garratt. 6 Safe as houses? If we’re serious about giving drug and alcohol users a chance, we […]
The power of naloxone
[…] procedure, with kits easily available across all of its properties in boxes attached directly to the walls, as well as in first-aid kits and kept in vehicles. Kevin Flemen of KFx After the development of the naloxone scheme, Harbour was assisted by drug and housing policy expert Kevin Flemen to adjust its own policy to […]
DDN3007
[…] far earlier stage intreatment to give inmates a better chance of avoiding relapse. 10 2020 vision Will politicians seize the chance to model a fairer drug strategy? Kevin Flemen warns that the promised sea-change is more likely to result in a darker place for human rights. 12 Catching them young Teams at St Helens and […]
DDN 050110
[…] launched in Kent school Media watch ‘It could provoke an increase in truancies and exclusions, and risk driving drug use further under- ground.’ Getting tough on drugs Kevin Flemen, KFx The Drugs Bill was drafted prior to Mr Blunkett’s depar ture from the Home Office. While his successor, Charles Clarke, has publicly stated that he […]
Psychoactive challenge
Knowing enough about each novel psychoactive compound that emerges in time to help clients can feel like an impossible task. Kevin Flemen gives a pragmatic approach to staying ahead Anyone trying to keep abreast of novel psychoactive compounds (NPCs) will know what a daunting task this can be. My inbox is constantly refilling with bulletins […]
Height of ecstasy
Summer brings the festivals – and a new young crowd experimenting with MDMA. Kevin Flemen gives the guide to staying safe ‘Who is Leah Betts?’ The question, from a recently qualified social worker on an NPS course, brought home to me some important issues. Leah died in 1995, aged 18, after using MDMA and drinking […]
Under pressure
The celebrity craze for stress pills is even reaching schoolchildren – should we be concerned? Kevin Flemen looks at the risks and availability of alprazolam, branded as Xanax. A friend of mine in Hackney was recounting a recent case involving the death of a child at her daughter’s school. While the inquest results were still […]
DDN 050530
[…] family suppor t. 7 A mother’s story Families Anonymous helped this mother out of a despair. She shares her stor y. 8School report on random drug testing Kevin Flemen issues an end of term repor t for drug testing in school. The grades aren’t good and expulsion’s on the cards. 10 Too much too young […]
Another record year for England and Wales drug deaths
[…] use drugs, from young people who are experimenting to those who use drugs to cope with trauma and mental health problems.’ Niamh Eastwood, executive director, Release ***** Kevin Flemen, www.kfx.org.uk ‘OD HAS BECOME SHORTHAND FOR OPIATE OD… WE MUST ADDRESS STIMULANTS’ ‘The ongoing increase in drug deaths featuring cocaine highlights why services must ensure their […]
Changing profile
[…] to help them understand the needs of a client group that frontline drugs workers often find very hard to engage with, beyond a quick exchange. We approached Kevin Flemen at KFx to undertake research to use alongside experience gained at his workshops and training sessions, and a simple questionnaire was created and distributed by needle […]
Charity warns of a surge of harmful illicit benzodiazepines
[…] With You treatment services across the UK reporting increasing numbers of overdoses linked to these illicit substances. Improving our understanding of benzodiazepines would save many lives, says Kevin Flemen in his recent DDN article which you can read here. Testing of some seized tablets has shown they don’t contain any of the drugs they purport […]
The Benzo Trap
Improving our understanding of benzodiazepines would save many lives, says Kevin Flemen. Non-medical use of benzodiazepines creates big challenges for treatment services. There need to be significant changes in how we respond if we are to reduce dependency and fatalities related to this family of drugs. The extent of non-prescribed benzo use is poorly understood. […]
More action needed to avert US-style fentanyl crisis, says ACMD
[…] fentanyl, and the commissioning of research to look at diversion and non-medical use of strong opioids to identify ‘trends, drug products involved and populations at risk’. Read Kevin Flemen’s guide to fentanyl in DDN magazine The government should also carry out a full review of international drug strategy approaches to fentanyl markets, particularly ‘the US […]
Drug-related deaths highest since records began
[…] drugs. That is why we need investment in substance misuse services that support people to improve their physical and mental health. Read the full response here. www.changegrowlive.org Kevin Flemen from KFX drug consultancy ‘More than half the deaths where MDMA was mentioned didn’t feature another drug and very few mentioned alcohol. In comparison only 4 […]
DDN 050530
[…] family suppor t. 7 A mother’s story Families Anonymous helped this mother out of a despair. She shares her stor y. 8School report on random drug testing Kevin Flemen issues an end of term repor t for drug testing in school. The grades aren’t good and expulsion’s on the cards. 10 Too much too young […]
Harm reduction on a knife edge
[…] missing out on a much bigger opportunity to engage with healthcare. ‘NSPs for many people represent the first, and possibly only, engagement with a “professional” agency,’ says Kevin Flemen of KFx training. ‘This toe-hold in a service opens up routes to so many other interventions – overdose prevention and naloxone, vaccines and BBV testing, wound […]
Wiltshire police issue Xanax warning
[…] come from and ask that anyone with information comes forward.’ Wiltshire Council said that its young people’s drug and alcohol service was ‘already engaging’ with young people in the area to make them aware of the risks associated with the drug. Read Kevin Flemen’s article on the risks and availability of Xanax, in our April issue.
DDN May 2013
[…] headlines? The age of fast news has us googling at every tweet and risking missing far more important elements of the job. In this month’s cover story, Kevin Flemen offers a reassuring guide to staying ahead of novel psychoactive compounds, using existing skills to respond calmly and effectively. There’s a varied alcohol theme running through […]
DDN201106
[…] rest of us take for granted.’ Experimenting starts ‘as young as 13’ ‘This house believes you shouldn’t need qualifications to work in this field.’ Proposing the motion: Kevin Flemen, KFx Being competent shouldn’t be entangled with being qualified. We need to clarify what is meant by the ‘drugs field’; it includes drugs workers, peer educators, […]
DDN100907
[…] a more prosaic point: what is the point of professionalising and training the ‘state’s’ drug-treatment providers whilst allowing an unregulated private market to co-exist, unwatched and unchallenged? Kevin Flemen, KFx Heavy on the law I was surprised and saddened at the comment made last issue by Professor David Clark (DDN, 30 July, page 15) where […]
DDN June 2018
[…] upsurge in crack use – but are we ready for it? How seriously should we treat the reappearance of ‘crack horror’ warnings? In this month’s cover story, Kevin Flemen suggests a pragmatic response. With so many different drugs in circulation and symptoms to look out for, we’ve been developing our DDN ‘Wider Health’ series, beginning […]
My, how you’ve changed!
[…] inspirational to behold. Ensuring that this does not in turn become incorporated, co-opted and neutered will be one of the key challenges in the next ten years. Kevin Flemen, KFx ‘Society doesn’t take addiction seriously’ Good things happen, progress is made, people do get good help and lives are transformed. Whatever the turn of […]
July/August 2017
[…] well’. And as the summer rolls on, so does the schedule of festivals that bring many young people face to face with the irresistible opportunity to experiment. Kevin Flemen’s article (page 14) should help to provide accurate advice, grounded in harm reduction. We’re doing a combined July/August issue for the holiday period, but will be […]
DDN April 2017
[…] behind it. Anxiety is starting to be well documented, particularly among young people, and Xanax’s link with celebrity makes it difficult to deter experimentation with the drug. Kevin Flemen’s article explains the nature of the threat and what to look out for. Throughout the rest of this month’s issue we talk a lot about prison […]
kevin flemmen web3
Kevin Flemen (left) and Piper
Stayin’ alive
[…] harm reduction lead at Cranstoun; Maddie O’Hare is deputy director of HIT Related articles: (Features, June 2017): Meet the Fentanyls, a guide to the fentanyl family by Kevin Flemen. (News, August 2023): Better utilisation of data and data sharing, including early warning systems, is needed to address the escalating drug crisis in the UK (Partner […]
Review of the year 2013
[…] Guardian – and a government desperate not to seem out of touch with the concerns of ordinary people, although ministers claim the policy has not been abandoned. Kevin Flemen advises DDN readers on how to keep on top of the dizzying array of new psychoactive substances and the Organization of American States issues a landmark […]
DDN 050516
[…] merely proves that people like the idea of sniffer dogs. And there is a world of difference between approving of a scheme and a scheme being effective. Kevin Flemen KFx KFx has produced a booklet ‘Drugs and Dogs and Schools’ for parents and pupils who are unhappy about the implementation of Sniffer Dogs in schools. […]
DDN030706
[…] 487 672 e: london@profbriefings.co.uk Dr Emyr Benbow – Senior Lecturer in Pathology and Consultant Pathologist, MRI. Stephen Heller-Murphy – Scottish Prison Service Addiction Team's Policy Development Officer. Kevin Flemen – Trainer, consultant and activist, who established and runs the KFx website. Dr Stefan Janikiewicz – Clinical Director of the Wirral and Chester Drug and Alcohol […]
DDN1707
[…] and user of a large range of compounds. Delia is now working towards a professional career in the other side of the drugs field. Additional material by Kevin Flemen/KFx. A longer version of this article is on the KFx website at www.ixion.demon.co.uk ‘Heavy ongoing use of methamphetamine is less feasible than with most other drugs, […]
DDN250906
[…] | conference and training Dr Emyr Benbow – Senior Lecturer in Pathology and Consultant Pathologist, MRI. Stephen Heller-Murphy – Scottish Prison Service Addiction Team's Policy Development Officer. Kevin Flemen – Trainer, consultant and activist, who established and runs the KFx website. Dr Stefan Janikiewicz – Clinical Director of the Wirral and Chester Drug and Alcohol […]
DDN July/August 2020
[…] isolated (p16 and p22). With lockdown likely to have a disproportionate effect on women (June issue, p9), we have an insight into domestic abuse support (p12), while Kevin Flemen looks out for young people in the summer party season with some targeted harm reduction advice (p9). As Bill Nelles (p14) would be the first to […]
On the right path
[…] developed a comprehensive range of information guides and materials to enhance the new pathway and support both staff and service users. We also commissioned bespoke training by Kevin Flemen of KFx – all staff and volunteers, including those who might not end up directly involved in the delivery, were trained, and the new pathway was […]
DDN061008
[…] could well be damaged by the wider association with FRANK; the campaign machine lacks the same honesty, integrity or accuracy. And young people can see through it. Kevin Flemen, KFx (www.ixion.demon.co.uk) Last word I find myself totally at a loss to understand Michael Linnell’s allusion to so-called promotion of my ‘business entity’ (DDN, 22 September, […]
DDN Magazine July/August 2019
[…] encourage those with first-hand experience to tell their stories, breaking down the polarisation of ‘us and them’. The internet is shaping every area of our work and Kevin Flemen gives invaluable insight to what’s happening on the ‘darknet’. International policing operations may be enjoying successes in closing down online market places – but have we […]
DDN2502
[…] force under Jack Straw's tenure at the Home Office) the proposal was watered down to Smith talking about a review of existing powers. In vinum veritas est.Sometimes. Kevin Flemen, KFx Irresponsible and distorted Rarely, if ever, has this writer read a more biased, inaccurate, and irrespons- ible piece of journalism than ‘Deadly serious’ (DDN, 11 […]
Aggressive marketing and changing attitudes driving increased crack use
[…] however. Many service users, treatment professionals and police officers interviewed for the report thought that ‘the stigma of using crack had declined in recent years’. Last year Kevin Flemen warned in a DDN cover story (right) that ‘the stigma-driven barriers between powder cocaine and crack may be breaking down’ (DDN, June 2018, page 6). The […]
At the cutting edge
[…] annual European drug report identifies the UK as among the biggest consumers in a ‘buoyant’ cocaine market, with purity levels at their highest for a decade, while Kevin Flemen wonders in DDN if the recent growth in crack use indicates a move towards social acceptability. ‘I’m probably more anxious about crack this time around than […]
DDN 050516
[…] merely proves that people like the idea of sniffer dogs. And there is a world of difference between approving of a scheme and a scheme being effective. Kevin Flemen KFx KFx has produced a booklet ‘Drugs and Dogs and Schools’ for parents and pupils who are unhappy about the implementation of Sniffer Dogs in schools. […]
DDNjan11
[…] are £245 + VAT for both days. Costs include refreshments, lunch and course materials. 17 and 18 March 2011 (two day course) Safer injecting and needle exchange Kevin Flemen runs KFx, a drugs information and training business and has been delivering safer injecting and needle exchange training since the mid-nineties. He has worked with agencies […]
Testing the limits
[…] UK, have produced harm reduction advice on nitazenes. (News, January 2023): Fentanyl behind 80% increase in New York’s overdose deaths (Features, June 2017): Meet the Fentanyls, a guide to the fentanyl family by Kevin Flemen. Search the DDN archive for more on nitazenes, fentanyl and synthetic opioids. ddn article on testing for nitazenes information and resources on nitazenes
Raising the alarm on synthetic opioids – why the UK should not be complacent
[…] EuroNPUD and other drug treatment service colleagues in the UK, have produced harm reduction advice on nitazenes. (Features, June 2017): Meet the Fentanyls, a guide to the fentanyl family by Kevin Flemen. (News, January 2023): Fentanyl behind 80% increase in New York’s overdose deaths Search the DDN archive for more on nitazenes, fentanyl and synthetic opioids. DDN magazine is […]