In January 2025, Scotland opened the doors of The Thistle, the UK’s first sanctioned safer drug consumption facility. Last week, the Transform and Anyone’s Child team had the privilege of visiting the site in Glasgow. For many of the Anyone’s Child families the opening of the Thistle has been deeply significant. [...]
By Dr Órfhlaith Campbell, Drug Policy Reform Activist "Your children, they told our parents, will be safe now. With the peace deal, the days of young people disappearing and dying young would be gone. Yet this turned out to be a lie, too.” These are the closing words of Lyra McKee’s last article she [...]
If we wait until someone has died to learn, we’ve waited too long. By Kirsten Horsburgh. Today I met a mother who lost her son to a drug-related death. I'm not a parent, and I won't pretend to understand that kind of loss. But sitting with her and hearing about her son, [...]
Why reclassification won't solve the ketamine crisis A voice from the frontline. By James Pierce Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used recreationally by people who enjoy the wide range of effects that can be experienced through its use. Within the UK ketamine is currently classified as a Class B drug under [...]
Photograph of Ellie Rowe Good news for the ketamine dealers This blog was written by Wendy Teasdill. My heart goes out to the family of James Lee Williams, perhaps better known as The Vivienne, winner of the first series of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK. The Vivienne had long struggled with drug dependency [...]
"The Sheffield: Take Drugs Seriously event provided the platform for discussions on drug policy reform, harm reduction, and the broader socio-economic implications of prohibition. Members of the local community and the city's stakeholders came together and engaged in a critical dialogue about the failures of punitive drug policies in the UK and explored alternative, [...]
“People using drugs are expecting stigma and shame. You have to be extremely careful not to slip up and make them feel uncomfortable.” “You’re interviewing people who should be in prison, you should denounce them to the authorities.” “Not all people using drugs are vulnerable, this assumption is so stigmatising!” “Sharing a story anonymously [...]
This blog is adapted from a speech given at the ‘Women in Law Enforcement’ civil society side event organised by Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), at the 66th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). Debbie is a member of LEAP a group of Police, undercover operatives, intelligence service, military and a [...]
This blog is adapted from a speech given at the ‘Women in Law Enforcement’ civil society side event organised by Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), at the 66th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). Julia is a new member of LEAP a group of Police, undercover operatives, intelligence service, military and [...]
Legal regulation of non-medical cannabis is quickly becoming a reality across the world. As countries introduce different regulatory models with varying restrictions over how cannabis is produced, sold and consumed, there are valuable lessons to be gleaned about how cannabis can be regulated most effectively, as well as showing where policy design can potentially [...]
