Release’s Laura Garius discusses why universities must adopt harm reduction.
It’s time to adopt a harm-reduction approach to student drug use. Despite decades of universities taking the ‘just say no’ approach, and with some actively pursuing an idealistic ‘drug-free campus‘, research shows that the majority of students have, or will, use illicit drugs.
Now more than ever, as we see student drug use rise in the Covid-19 pandemic, universities must recognise the importance of adopting a harm reduction approach, and acknowledge the harm caused by their existing response(s) to drug use.
According to national surveys, students are the employment group with the highest prevalence of drug use. This trend is strongly linked to students’ age, given that 16 to 24-year-olds are the age group most likely to experiment with drugs. Furthermore, national surveys like the Crime Survey for England and Wales are likely to underestimate student drug use as they do not survey student halls of residence. Other surveys, including Release and NUS’ own 2018 student survey, confirm that drug use, whilst infrequent, is commonplace: with over half of the student population (56%) reporting having used drugs.
Despite this, there continues to be a concerning lack of harm reduction advice from higher education institutions. Equally concerning are the large number of institutions pursuing formal disciplinary measures, with some also introducing additional forms of surveillance, both of which are proven to cause harm to students.
Taking the hit: a review of drug policies across UK higher education
In our 2018 report, ‘Taking the Hit’, Release and NUS reviewed the drug policies of 151 UK higher education institutions. We found that for a student caught in possession of a drug, formal disciplinary measures could include temporary or permanent exclusion, eviction from accommodation, or referral to the police.
In fact, in more than a quarter of incidents (26%) involving students found in possession of drugs for personal use, students were referred to the police by their institution. Do institutions understand that there is no legal obligation to take this step? Or do they purposefully subject their students, for whom they have a duty of care, to potentially life-altering punishment?
One finding that does indicate a misunderstanding of current UK drug law is that over half of institutions have policies which allow for the punishment of drug-related behaviour not considered to be a criminal offence.
For example, despite the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 not criminalising the possession of new/novel psychoactive substances (such as nitrous oxide), a number of policies are in place that equate this to possession of a controlled drug.
Read the full blog post here.
DDN magazine is a free publication self-funded through advertising.
We are proud to work in partnership with many of the leading charities and treatment providers in the sector.
This content was created by Release
If you have not yet confirmed your booking it’s not too late! Please contact 
Northern Ireland also plans to launch a ‘full consultation’ on minimum pricing this year (DDN, September 2020, page 4), in response to rising rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions. As was the case in Scotland, Ireland’s plans have met with resistance from the drinks industry, with some trade bodies criticising the government’s intention to press ahead without alignment with Northern Ireland and stating that it would simply result in a ‘surge’ in cross-border shopping. ‘We have seen in the past that consumers will travel long distances to save money,’ said director of Retail Ireland, Arnold Dillon. ‘While the retail sector understands and appreciates the public health rationale for MUP, it is vital that the measure is done in coordination with Northern Ireland.’
The idea behind a public-facing campaign was to deliver something ‘impactful, emotive and engaging’, says Stephen Malloy, strategy and public affairs lead at Ethypharm, who provided funding. ‘Accidental opioid-related overdose deaths are recognised as a public health matter and they are largely avoidable and preventable. That’s what the campaign is about – motivating people to find out more about overdose prevention and intervention with naloxone.’
best job For not only my introduction to working with probation clients but also helping me to achieve so many things in my own life: The WYSCA 1993-96 Team. From left to right: John Wheeler (Manager), Paul Kendall (sports leader), Marion Oldham (secretary), (the late) Mark Milner, Adrian Tolan and Chris Bruce (sports leaders)
Most Bizarre moment Wimbledon 2015 – My brush with fame! Daily Mirror picture of me sat with a certain David Beckham and son (he sat down with me by the way!). Seeing all the cameras focused on him as he sat down was something I shall always remember. Now I know what fame feels like! I was asking whether his son played tennis.
Preventing problem drug use means ‘addressing its origins’, the document says, not least the country’s poverty-related social and health inequalities. More support is also needed for families and vulnerable young people, while the views of people with a drug problem should be a key driver of change. ‘A recognised, voiced, empowered presence for people with an active drug problem in making decisions that affect their lives,’ is crucial, it says, and also calls for ‘workforce development activity’ to allow staff to identify and challenge stigmatising practices and improve relationships with their clients.
The survey of almost 5,400 people also found that 30 per cent were consuming ten or more units ‘on a typical drinking day’, with the same proportion reporting using alcohol to deal with stress and anxiety. Researchers found that more than a quarter of respondents’ drinking fell into the increasing risk, higher risk or possible dependence categories, with a third reporting concerns about their drinking during lockdown. Almost a third of respondents said they were drinking more than four times a week, with a quarter also reporting that they were concerned about a loved one’s drinking.
The teams will provide street interventions for people sleeping rough – with no requirements to attend appointments – in locations across London as well as in Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge, Luton, Manchester, Northamptonshire, Peterborough, Preston, Reading, Southampton and Southend. People will be able to access support straight away with no need to wait for referrals from a third party, says the charity. Funding is being provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with support from Public Health England, as part of a two-year programme to help rough sleepers who have a drug or alcohol dependency.
We are proud to work in partnership with many of the leading charities and treatment providers in the sector.
The study is the ‘most rigorous trial to date’ assessing the potential of psychedelic compounds in mental health treatment, says Imperial College’s Centre for Psychedelic Research. Volunteers either received a high dose of psilocybin and a placebo, or a very low, ‘non-active’ dose of psilocybin plus escitalopram. All volunteers on the study received the same level of psychological support, the researchers stress, with people receiving an oral dose of psilocybin while listening to music and being guided by a support team including psychiatrists. The report’s authors also warn against people with depression attempting to self-medicate with psilocybin in an unsupported, non-clinical setting.
The SOCTA, which is published every four years, identifies shifts in serious and organised crime activity based on analysis of thousands of cases and intelligence provided to Europol. The COVID-19 pandemic and ‘potential economic and social fallout’ could create ideal conditions for criminal organisations to thrive and expand, it warns, with serious and organised crime posing a greater threat than ever before. ‘A key characteristic of criminal networks is their agility in adapting to and capitalising on changes in the environment in which they operate,’ it states. ‘Obstacles become criminal opportunities.’
Around 2.5m people are in prison for drugs offences, at least 475,000 of which relate to personal use only, while the annual drug-related death toll now stands at 585,000. Only one in eight people with drug dependence has access to treatment, the document states, while billions have limited or zero access to pain relief ‘due to repressive drug laws’.
Meanwhile a new report from INPUD states that ‘it is time to disrupt the misconception that decriminalisation efforts unquestionably represent progress when they have been developed with little or no consultation with people who use drugs’. Decriminalisation is often discussed as if there is a single model, says 
The first set of billboards will be displayed across London and Manchester, with more to follow later in the month in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The spending review in which the new funding was announced took the cautious approach of outlining the spending for just one year in light of the ongoing pandemic. It is hoped that a more robust commitment over a prolonged period will follow to give the sector some security when putting long-term plans in place.
Recent homelessness or unstable living circumstances meant a 55 per cent increase in HIV risk and 65 per cent for hep C risk, researchers found. 
The annual cost to the country’s budget for home and residential adult care is around £1.2bn, the document adds, with more than 100,000 people thought to be receiving local authority-funded care as a result of smoking – 17,500 in residential care and 85,000 in their own homes. While the figure is around 8 per cent of the annual budget for home and residential adult care, it is half of the additional £2.5bn annual cost to the NHS. 