Manchester: Take Drugs Seriously

Bereaved families, politicians and former police call for the legal regulation of the drugs market.

Bereaved families, politicians and former police officers will be discussing a new approach to illegal drugs in Manchester on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 November.

Uniting through sharing their own personal experiences panel members will explain how the legal regulation of drugs would better protect young people by taking their supply and distribution away from the hands of criminal networks.

Drug-related deaths in England and Wales reached an all-time high of 4359 in 2018, a 16% increase in a year. Of these, there were 494 drug related deaths in Manchester between 2016-18 in contrast to 387 between 2010 and 2012.

FREE PUBLIC EVENTS:

Further details and free tickets available here: https://anyoneschild.org/manchester-take-drugs-seriously/

Thursday 28 November

7 – 9pm. Roscoe Building,University of Manchester, M13 9PY

Manchester: Take Drugs Seriously. Panel discussion chaired by Deputy Chief Executive of Transform Drug Policy Foundation Jane Slater, on the impact of illegal drugs in Manchester and reducing harm through legislation. Participants include Suzanne Sharkey Former Constable and Undercover Operative Northumbria Constabulary , Anyone’s Child families Ray Lakeman and Marie Daniels and University of Manchester Professor of Criminology Judith Aldridge. There will be an open question and answer session.

Friday 29 November

11am – 3pm. Meet at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester City Centre

Walk with families and activists to Media City, Salford Quays to raise awareness of how current policy has failed and to call for the legal regulation of the drugs market. At 3pm forget-me-not flowers will be planted at Media City to represent those who have died as a result of failed drug policies.

Friday 29 November

7pm – 9pm. The Lowry, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ

Manchester: Take Drugs Seriously. Panel discussion with Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Chair of LEAP and Good Cop Bad War author Neil Woods, The Loop’s Senior Harm Reduction Worker Chris Brady and Anyone’s Child Families Ray Lakeman and Rosemary Humphries The session will be chaired by Deputy Chief Executive for Transform Drugs Policy Foundation Jane Slater. The talks will be followed by a question and answer session.

Spokesperson for the Anyone’s Child Campaign Jane Slater said:

“Come to hear what our speakers have to say, because the drug laws can harm anyone’s child. Keeping drugs illegal isn’t keeping our children safe, it’s putting them in danger. Our voices must be heard and our politicians must listen. We need to put governments in control of the drugs market, so that families are better protected.”

ENDS:

To arrange interviews with the speakers please contact:

Jane Slater, Manager Anyone’s Child: Families for Safer Drug Control 07852 272 220 or call 0117 325 0295

Notes to editor

This is a public event hosted by Transform Drug Policy Foundation.

Anyone’s Child:Families for Safer Drug Control is a campaign of Transform Drug Policy Foundation. Anyone’s Child is an international network of families whose lives have been wrecked by drug prohibition and who are now campaigning to end it. https://anyoneschild.org/

Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a charity working to reduce the harm from illegal drugs through policy changes. It promotes research, shares best practice and calls for regulation in the UK.

Read more about how the drug war harms young people: https://bit.ly/2KM7CoJ