PARLIAMENTARY GROUP
A matter of life
Reducing drug-related deaths needs us to be forthright in sharing practical interventions, hears the parliamentary group
Reducing drug-related deaths was the focus of the latest meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group( APPG) on Drugs, Alcohol and Justice, with a look at two approaches. Lisa Luhman, strategic commissioning manager for drugs, alcohol and sexual health at the London Borough of Camden examined the changing landscape of synthetic opioids; while Magdalena Harris, professor of inclusion health sociology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, brought a focus on cocaine and lung health. Both speakers examined practical interventions and essential learning points on harm reduction.
Luhman outlined Camden’ s response to a cluster of non-fatal overdoses that took place over a period of several days in March 2025. The incidents were concentrated in the north and centre of the borough and represented the first significant synthetic opioid incident experienced in Camden.‘ We needed an urgent, rapid response,’ she said.
As reports of overdoses increased, drug and alcohol commissioners, treatment providers and police and health partners established a coordinated response. Drug alerts were issued, daily meetings were held to review new incidents and agree actions, and harm reduction messaging was shared across services and partner organisations. Analysis of seized drugs identified the presence of nitazenes, a group of highly potent synthetic opioids, along with the veterinary sedative medetomidine. Notably, no heroin was detected in the samples linked to the incident.
Partnership working had been a key strength of the response, said Luhman, with
commissioners, providers and police sharing intelligence and coordinating activity. Local treatment providers were able to extend services over the following weekend, while additional naloxone training and distribution were rapidly put in place. The review also identified a number of challenges, particularly around information sharing – restrictions on information about hospital admissions made it difficult to build a complete picture of the incident and identify everyone affected. There needed to be stronger local protocols and improved access to information during future critical incidents, the review concluded.
The incident prompted a wider review of preparedness and harm reduction measures. Recommendations included strengthening out-of-hours arrangements, expanding access to naloxone through a wider range of services and community
settings, and improving understanding of how synthetic opioids may affect treatment assessments and prescribing decisions.
The meeting then heard from Professor Magdalena Harris, who presented findings from the Safe Inhalation Pipe Provision( SIPP) study, the first UK study to develop, pilot and evaluate the provision of safer crack inhalation equipment.
The study was developed in response to rising drug-related deaths and concerns about the health risks faced by people who smoke crack, many of whom have limited contact with treatment services. There had been an exponential rise in cocaine deaths, she explained, with people who use crack cocaine‘ among the most marginalised in society’. Baseline survey data showed high levels of respiratory problems among participants, alongside significant use of
55 YEARS OF THE MISUSE OF DRUGS ACT
EDM( Early Day Motion) 258: tabled on 02 June 2026
THAT THIS HOUSE NOTES that the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which received Royal Assent 55 years ago, has failed to reduce drug consumption and that drug deaths are now at a record high; regrets that the Act is clearly not fit for purpose, having instead increased harm, damaged public health and exacerbated social inequalities; recognises that, every year it remains in force, billions of pounds will be wasted, thousands of lives lost and countless people needlessly criminalised; insists that an evidence-based approach that provides
pathways for people with drug difficulties into treatment, rather than the criminal justice system, must instead be prioritised; and calls on the Government to repeal and replace the Act as a matter of urgency with legislation that will ensure future drug policy protects human rights, promotes public health and ensures social justice.
Motion sponsored by Grahame Morris( primary sponsor), Rachael Maskell, Charlotte Nichols, Jeremy Corbyn, Andrew George and Wera Hobhouse
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