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Making choice real
[…] to help reduce or end illicit ‘problem’ drug use. But there’s an unhelpful polarity that exists between interventions targeting immediate abstinence, and substitution treatments promoting stabilisation and harm reduction. The use of OST has for a long time been challenged politically and through mainstream media. This cultural opposition, despite a strong evidence base for harm […]
Review of the year
[…] world needs drug policies that ‘put people first’. The event’s outcome document, however, receives a decidedly lukewarm response – despite some welcome language on human rights and harm reduction, the need for consensus renders it ‘watered down’ and ‘generally a huge disappointment’, Transform’s Steve Rolles tells DDN. The seemingly unstoppable flow of new psychoactive substances […]
Glasgow considers case for UK’s first consumption room
[…] established by the local alcohol and drug partnership (ADP) (DDN, July/August, page 4). This would help maximise engagement with the target population and increase ‘the potential for harm reduction’, the group said. The working group reviewed how existing consumption room services operated in places like Europe, Canada and Australia, as well as considering feedback from […]
Media Savvy: the news, and the skews, in the national media
[…] broad daylight’ just yards from a PRIMARY SCHOOL Mail headline, 25 October The lessons of a failing national policy need to be learnt. The approach of harm reduction was born – under a Conservative government – in response to the threat of HIV. It saved countless lives. When focus shifted away from harm reduction, […]
Choose life – Recovery Month and Overdose Awareness
[…] recalled the successful deployment of naloxone across the West Midlands during his time as Public Health England regional manager, and challenged the North West, ‘the home of harm reduction’, to step up and take action in relation to drug-related deaths. Finally, a public awareness event was held in the centre of Manchester. Undeterred by lashing […]
Reasons to be cheerful
[…] the cumulative consequences of austerity. This presents twin challenges to the sector. Firstly we have to find a new narrative, as persuasive to local authorities as previous harm reduction and crime led narratives have been to central government. This needs to be a shared endeavour across the sector, service users and our allies in Whitehall. […]
January issue 2012
[…] revolve around the criminal justice system until he finally got the right treatment in prison for his mental health problems. He tells his story. A DUTCH MASTER Harm Reduction International chair John-Peter Kools has been at the forefront of harm reduction work for almost 30 years, operating across Europe and beyond. He talks to David […]
Dark days review of the year 2015
[…] work’ and ASH tells DDN that the Welsh government’s plans to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places amounts to a misguided attack on an effective harm reduction tool, although the claim in a PHE report that the devices are 95 per cent less harmful than smoking tobacco proves divisive. SEPTEMBER More grim news […]
Public health focus for drugs and alcohol?
[…] health approach to substance issues, or is the switch to Public Health England nothing more than a change of name? ‘I am optimistic,’ says Gerry Stimson, former Harm Reduction International (HRI) executive director and now programme director for City health 2012, a conference organised by the London Drug and Alcohol Policy Forum (LDAPF) to be […]
Recovery and drug treatment
[…] In the aftermath of the general election we noticed something peculiar. There seemed to be a political, ontological divide between two tribes – those affiliated with the harm reduction model, and those affiliated with the recovery model. It didn’t seem to matter whether the person expressing the view worked in the field, or was in […]
Competent compassion in services
[…] years, but unfortunately, as the pendulum swings from one side of treatment fashion to the other, it has become all about ‘recovery’ (often requiring abstinence) rather then harm reduction. This hotly contested debate misses the point. When someone is in need of help, there must be a full range of interventions available to them. It […]
Vital connections
[…] along the same lines.’ One of the battles to which Alexander referred was the ongoing tension between those who wholeheartedly believed in abstinence and those dedicated to harm reduction. He warned that it was important not to become embroiled in such tensions and urged both sides to work together as part of the same movement. […]
Nitazenes detected in 25 Scottish drug deaths
[…] needed to address the escalating drug crisis in the UK (Partner Updates, September 2023): Release, alongside EuroNPUD and other drug treatment service colleagues in the UK, have produced harm reduction advice on nitazenes. (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. […]
Afghan opium cultivation drops by 95 per cent
[…] needed to address the escalating drug crisis in the UK (Partner Updates, September 2023): Release, alongside EuroNPUD and other drug treatment service colleagues in the UK, have produced harm reduction advice on nitazenes. (News, January 2023): Fentanyl behind 80% increase in New York’s overdose deaths Search the DDN archive for more on opium production, nitazenes, fentanyl and […]
Rising levels of violence associated with county lines activity
[…] and their severity’. One respondent described an increase in the number of males under 21 attending A&E after being raped, while others also noted increases in self- harm and suicide attempts among children and young people admitted to hospital. The report, which looks at the impact of COVID-19 on county lines activities, says more […]
Alcohol focus for new NHS plan
[…] Alcohol-related hospital admissions have increased by 17 per cent over the course of a decade, to 337,000 in 2016-17. NHS England estimates the annual cost of alcohol-related harm at £3.5bn. The initiative is part of a major focus on prevention in the new NHS plan, alongside support for patients who smoke and action on […]
Heavy drinking set to cost NHS £17bn over next five years
[…] hepatitis testing and diagnosis in the community with a focus on ‘groups at greatest risk and/or not in regular contact with health services’, as well as protection for harm reduction services. The impact of liver disease on the poorest in society is ‘disproportionally severe’, the document states, and contributes to the ‘widening of socioeconomic health inequalities […]
Vital care
[…] outcome; improve patient experience and demonstrate cost effectiveness. The main reason for presentation at A&E was withdrawal (eg seizure), with mental health issues, including suicidal ideation, self- harm or depression, also prominent. Many patients had three or more admissions to A&E within the preceding six months and a minority were in contact with a […]
‘New pledges’ announced as part of alcohol deal
[…] health white paper (DDN, 6 December 2010, page 4). Controversial from the start, it was branded ‘the worst possible deal for everyone who wants to see alcohol harm reduced’ by Alcohol Concern (DDN, April 2011, page 4), with the charity refusing to sign up – along with the Royal College of Physicians, the British […]
News in brief
[…] programme for Wales. ‘The “Have a Word” training has enabled over 6,000 people in Wales to identify hazardous and harmful drinkers and provide advice to reduce alcohol-related harm,’ said the Kaleidoscope Project’s alcohol service team leader and training coordinator, Tom Damsell. ‘By working in collaboration with Public Health Wales to deliver the training and […]
Time to change direction on drugs
[…] document includes a call from five Nobel Prize economists for resources to be redirected towards ‘effective, evidence-based policies underpinned by rigorous economic analysis.’ Proven public health and harm reduction policies should be prioritised, it says, with states allowed to pursue new initiatives to determine what works and ‘rigorously monitored’ policy and regulatory experiments encouraged. The […]
Time to change direction on drugs policy, say economists
[…] document includes a call from five Nobel Prize economists for resources to be redirected towards ‘effective, evidence-based policies underpinned by rigorous economic analysis’. Proven public health and harm reduction policies should be prioritised, it says, with states allowed to pursue new initiatives to determine what works and ‘rigorously monitored’ policy and regulatory experiments encouraged. The […]
Soul food
[…] clear from the Feeding Recovery Project that hosting sessions where people experiencing serious alcohol harm can make and share food offers real opportunities for positive engagement and harm reduction. In the Feeding Recovery Handbook, we’ve set out how such sessions can be successfully run. Our hope now is that agencies across the UK will pick […]
Change Grow Live: our call for sustainable funding for community drug and alcohol treatment
[…] services. Drug and alcohol treatment services have been demonstrated to reduce offending by 33% We know that: 1. Drug and alcohol services deliver value for money The harm related to illicit drug use in England costs an estimated £19.3 billion. Adult drug treatment reflects a return-on-investment of £4 for every £1 invested in the […]
Sowing the seeds
[…] substance. Research into the ground poppy seed supply is needed to understand exactly what is being put into this commonly available substance, so we can offer informed harm-reduction advice to the public. Poppy seeds can be just as addictive as any other opiate Poppy seeds can be just as addictive as any other opiate, […]
Lady health workers smoking cessation initiative in rural Pakistan
[…] less harmful alternatives to smoking was low. Most households had someone who wanted to stop smoking and 51 women and 146 men agreed to try a tobacco harm reduction (THR) product. Primary health units’ staff appreciated the project, especially the training provided. They believed the program could be sustainable, and LHWs expressed interest in continuing […]
Tobacco and vapes bill introduced to Parliament
[…] is utterly unacceptable. This is a major piece of legislation which if passed will have a positive and lasting impact on the health of the nation.’ See tobacco harm reduction feature in the new issue of DDN here Tobacco and vapes bill introduced to Parliament The government is also considering ‘tougher action’ to address youth vaping
A welcome diversion
[…] down offending rates’. Diversion schemes were about making sure people did not enter the criminal justice system but got the treatment and support they needed, ‘with excellent harm reduction and support’ along the way. They also saved many hours of police time. ‘We need to make it as easy as possible for officers to use […]
More than 60 per cent of people dying a drug-related death in Scotland lived...
[…] states, while a third had been discharged from a general acute hospital in the six months before death. Two thirds had been in contact with treatment or harm reduction services in the six months before death, rising to more than 70 per cent of people whose death was opioid-related. More than a third were on […]
Proportion of current smokers falls to lowest ever level
[…] help the 6m people currently smoking to quit.’ Vaping will overtake smoking for the first time Meanwhile, a new briefing paper from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) focuses on the UK’s ‘remarkable shift’ from tobacco to vaping. At current rates, the number of adults who smoke will have fallen to just over […]
Author of UK drug review visits Darlington drug and alcohol service
[…] WithYou CEO, Simon Phillips and Dot Smith, CEO at Recovery Connections. At the Tubwell site she visited the on-site dispensary, heard about the work in relation to harm reduction and met with several teams including the access team and assertive outreach. Then she walked to the Coniscliffe Road site for lunch with clients, staff and […]
Health and Care Futures Webinar Series
[…] Link to register: https://t-p.news/socialcarefuture Synthetic opioids – how does the drug and alcohol treatment sector need to work differently to respond to the changing drug supply? With harm reduction and local intelligence systems expert Michael Linnell. Friday 18th October 2024, 4-5pm Link to register: https://t-p.news/syntheticopioids How can we shift the dial on health inequalities? With […]
Cranstoun response to Scottish drug deaths: evidence must prevail to prevent tragedy
[…] treatment are being missed. Solutions should include smarter use of the criminal justice system, more outreach programmes to reach those who would benefit from treatment and more harm reduction measures. Additionally, the third sector in Scotland is unable to prescribe opioid replacement therapy. This leaves prescribing in the hands of the NHS alone, which given […]
Shake up at Drinkaware over industry links
[…] in a suspicion that Drinkaware is not truly independent of the alcohol industry’. It also described ‘weak stakeholder engagement’, leaving the organisation isolated within the wider alcohol harm reduction community, and lack of clarity over its mission and purpose. ‘Drinkaware is seen by non-industry stakeholders as lacking independence from its funders, and some are sceptical […]
Drug executions up more than 40 per cent
There were at least 467 drug-related executions in 2023, according to the latest report from Harm Reduction International (HRI). Drug offences accounted for more than 40 per cent of all confirmed global executions last year The figure is 44 per cent higher than the previous year and does not account for the ‘dozens, if not […]
Smoking-related hospital admissions up 5 per cent in a year
[…] our world-first “swap to stop” programme.’ Delegates at this year’s Global Forum on Nicotine, however, heard how the last decade had been a challenging one for tobacco harm reduction, with ‘regulators, parliamentarians and legislators changing the pace of progress’ according to Prof Gerry Stimson, and the WHO remaining largely opposed to products like e-cigarettes (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/igniting-the-debate/). […]
Over-supervised, Under-dosed
[…] of OST, which is to prescribe in place of street opioids at an adequate dose to alleviate all withdrawal symptoms, as well as the basic premise of harm reduction, which is to meet people where they are at. More concretely, the barrier is also contrary to the guidance of the ‘orange book’, which advises in […]
The Shine Awards
Liverpool – 10 November Harm Reduction Event – sharing innovation and best practice from across the globe. 2023.hit.org.uk
DDN September 2023
[…] As we go to press on this issue it’s International Overdose Awareness Day and we’re never far from thinking about everyone we’ve lost. Our collective efforts on harm reduction will make the world a safer place – from collaborative commissioning (p18) to distributing naloxone (p14 and 24). This issue’s articles remind us of the struggles, […]
Likewise launches to support people in Sheffield with drug and alcohol issues
[…] projects to ensure more people across our city have access to support and recovery services when they need them.” Likewise will offer a range of support including harm reduction, recovery navigation, clinical and therapeutic interventions. The service will also provide support for family members and continue to work with people in longer term recovery to […]
Accentuate the positive
[…] to balance budgets and maintain services that local communities cared about, while working to develop partnerships such as the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) – something that combined harm reduction and reducing reoffending and showed the two could complement each other. ‘But evidence of effectiveness isn’t enough in the current financial climate,’ she said. ‘The coming […]
Executions for drug offences up 850 per cent in two years
There were at least 285 executions for drug offences worldwide in 2022, according to the latest report from Harm Reduction International (HRI). This represents a 118 per cent increase on 2021 and an 850 per cent increase since 2020. There are 35 countries that still retain the death penalty. Executions for drug offences were either […]
DDN February 2023
[…] The outlook for their health is worrying – but how do we encourage them to take the risks seriously and play an active part in their own harm reduction? There’s no doubt that a new alcohol strategy is well overdue – but it must go beyond a focus on young people and have absolute relevance […]
November issue 2013
In this month’s issue of DDN… ‘The key harm reduction messages for active ketamine users revolve around dose management and hydration. Understanding how to dose, avoiding dose stacking and learning to take breaks between using sessions…’ In November’s issue, Mat Southwell and Lana Durjava offer practical advice on understanding and meeting the complex needs of people […]
Almost half of MDMA sold at festivals last year was fake
[…] to tell what’s really in the drugs people purchase – and the pandemic and Brexit appear to have exacerbated this issue. Rapid onsite testing, dissemination of alerts, harm reduction information and associated risk communications through media and social media channels provide vital ways to inform drug-users, practitioners and policymakers to help reduce drug-related harms at […]
UK’s first Home Office-licensed drug checking service launches in Bristol
The country’s first regular drug checking service to be licensed by the Home Office will open in Bristol later this month, provided by harm reduction body The Loop. The organisation has been providing drug-testing facilities at festivals for almost a decade. The sample drop-off and Loop pop-up laboratory are located at Bristol Drug Project. The […]
WDP to deliver services in Surrey
[…] from 1 April 2022 and will be operational for an initial three-year term. WDP will be delivering one-to-one and group support for service users, as well as harm reduction. It has an award-winning Capital Card scheme, and a unique family safeguarding service which will be co-located with children and families’ social services teams. Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of […]
Words into deeds
[…] in the future, have a look at that matrix.’ The three headline objectives were reducing overall drug use, reducing drug-related crime and reducing drug-related deaths and health harms, with the government saying ‘very clearly that it wants a whole-system approach, with the money spent behind achieving those’. Prof Dame Clare Gerada: Needs ‘joined-up effort’ […]
DDN December/January 2021
[…] fired up our pages for many years – ensuring people are on the dose that suits them, and the all-important dialogue that moves way beyond the ‘ harm reduction v recovery’ days and focuses on our collective assets and interests. Our reports on pages 10, 12, 16 and 21 give a flavour of the will […]
The comprehensive spending review: a substance misuse perspective
[…] a greater extent in deprived areas. The benefits of properly funding substance misuse services will be far-reaching. Estimates show that the social and economic costs of alcohol related harm amount to £21.5 billion, while that of illicit drug use costs £10.7bn. These include costs associated with deaths, the NHS, crime and, in the case of […]
People in need of residential treatment being failed, says Phoenix
[…] If implemented, the legislation would be evaluated after four years, says the coalition of SPD, Greens and Free Democratic Party, which will take over from Angela Merkel’s CDU party. The new government also intends to introduce drug checking and other harm reduction measures, it says. rehab report phoenix futures Phoenix Futures chief executive Karen Biggs
‘One in five’ in North East could have undiagnosed liver disease
[…] reduction in levels of alcohol-related crime, disorder or public nuisance. Dr Karl Ferguson: Understanding the impact of MUP is important ‘Understanding the impact of MUP on social harms including crime and public safety is an important aspect of the overall evaluation,’ said Dr Karl Ferguson, public health intelligence adviser at Public Health Scotland. ‘The […]
Drugs & Me
Drugs & Me is a social enterprise that provides services centered around drug harm reduction, as part of an upcoming network of mental health tools brought to you by the Mental Health Education Foundation. Website: https://www.drugsand.me/
Clubbers warned to pace themselves as venues reopen
A new harm reduction campaign by drug safety organisation The Loop in partnership with the Metro newspaper is warning clubbers to stay safe as venues open after 18 months of lockdown restrictions. Clubbers are being urged to pace themselves and not ‘make up for lost time’ ‘High Alert’ is urging people to pace themselves and […]
The long road
[…] so national coverage really shouldn’t be a problem. It’s about getting the right people on board who can fight your battle.’ Early champions Another early champion is harm reduction campaigner and former GP Judith Yates, who first came across naloxone in 2009 when David Best and others were working on an early paper. This studied […]
DDN April 2021
[…] idea of buying alcohol for people with severe dependence might seem a strange one to many. The outreach team in Bristol (p6) are well enough tuned to harm reduction to know that their life-saving actions during lockdown have opened up many opportunities. It’s a brave idea and the tangible results of their initiative speak for […]
Chelita De La Haye – i am a…
[…] with young people under the age of 25. At the same time I volunteered with a local drug treatment project on the Dance Drug Safety Project, providing harm reduction advice in the night-time economy. I found engaging with both young people and individuals who misuse substances rewarding. The post of young person’s substance misuse nurse […]
DDN November 2020
[…] healthcare discrimination should be a primary focus. Sharing the ‘safe supply’ scheme from his home in British Columbia, Bill Nelles (p16) charts the journey of one straightforward harm reduction approach, through the challenges of risk assessment, scepticism and moral dilemma, to finally become official health policy. He hopes that the UK could follow suit with […]
Doubling Down
[…] most at risk of infection, there has been no notable reduction in new transmissions in recent years. Prevention is absolutely vital to achieving elimination and yet currently harm reduction provision does not go far enough, with 36 per cent of people who inject drugs reporting in 2018 that they did not have adequate needle and […]
0713_DDN_web
[…] FOCUSED Delegates at Adfams conference discuss the progress made since Hidden harm p12 PROFILE HRI executive director Rick Lines on dignity, compassion and human rights p22 w.driwnkaugkrnsauecw HARM REDUCTION ACTIVISTS GATHER IN VILNIUS w.drinkauigsiekicogumiedri kIrSikNiukI1g75k-ri rk uri IdkiosrimSonsbia7mir7miedrimSoniIaSi2iIdg5digsi3rSJi -o5diaiSa5gauia7mir5k7k-g5iloseg5rigssory0 Goin g t o t h e In te rn atio nal H arm R ed ubtio […]