LETTERS AND COMMENT
drugs are not addicted and do not have mental health problems – they are seeking similar social enhancements to alcohol.
Alcohol is a risky but largely regulated recreational drug: an uncomfortable fact. Addiction to alcohol can result in illness or death. Regulation versus prohibition provides harm mitigation: consumers make reasonably informed decisions about consumption and are not criminalised. Producers and suppliers are regulated and held accountable.
The UK criminal justiceled‘ war on drugs’ strategy should be replaced by a focus on public health and legal control and regulation of the market. Regulation of the drugs industry and all it encompasses would save lives by mitigating direct and harms. Regulation of suppliers would reduce the collateral damage linked to the illegal drug trade.
Successive governments have avoided implementing the evidence-based solutions outlined by the Global Commission on Drugs Policy, because of insecurity that the solutions could be unpalatable to the voting public. It is vital that members of Parliament as well as the general public receive good quality, evidencebased information on drugs and drug policy.
This year marks Anyone’ s Child’ s ten-year anniversary and on 24 June we will once again be returning to Parliament to show the public and politicians that we stand for better drug laws. To achieve change, we need you there.
Change is possible when all stakeholders unite, consider all the available evidence and work together to prevent further unnecessary deaths through implementation of an effective, evidence-based drug strategy. So join us on 24 June, speak out on the need for reform and help us to protect more young people like George.
More details at https:// anyoneschild. org / 2025-lobby-ofparliament /
Dr Alison Bedford Russell is a consultant neonatologist
THE BENZO TRAP
I was interested to read Release’ s latest column( DDN, April, p16). I was dependent on street-unprescribed valium for many years. I tried to contact addiction services and my GP on many occasions to get the issue managed with a prescription for diazepam, with the aim of slowly reducing. No one would prescribe me anything.
Eventually my issue spiralled out of control and in order to get accepted by addiction services, I had to say I was using and test positive for opiates – which I had to make happen. They then gave me a methadone prescription for a benzo addiction, which I am now free from as well as drugs. But the system is definitely broken. They blame non-prescribed valium for all the drug deaths, but won’ t prescribe them – even for people who are self-prescribing for anxiety and mental health issues. Jamie, by email
FROM THE FRONTLINE
In April we carried an article‘ Message from the frontline’ about the‘ corporatisation’ of the sector. This generated significant feedback. Here are some of the comments from LinkedIn( edited for space).
This is a really interesting piece. I would suggest CEOs and others are pushing for innovation … Collective Voice has a workforce forum bringing together a whole range of organisations to develop a sector-led response to the workforce strategy. Will Haydock, Collective Voice
NAILED it. And this madness started over ten years ago now. So, so sad. Philippe Bonnet, overdose prevention centre lead
This article is spot on. I left the sector as a very experienced senior leader as I felt that targets and the smell of ambition and acquisition was replacing heart. There are some outstanding services and brilliant staff but most of the time services are not directed by need, rather by commissioning directives based on government targets. Paul Hanton, solutionfocused. uk
I think the article has some great points … [ but ] we shouldn’ t forget the progress made. When I first started there was a five-year waiting list in my area for a script and often an optimised dose was whatever the prescriber decided on.
Years of austerity eroded staff competence to some degree, with training being cut in line with budgets … many frontline staff have stayed through all of this, ignoring the white noise and are still quietly delivering some great quality services and outcomes, and go unmentioned. Peter Furlong, national harm reduction lead, Change Grow Live
On my first day in community work( 2010), I said to my immediate colleague,‘ Be grateful for what we’ ve got, as it will be the best service for a long time.’ The effects of austerity were only just filtering through. I now deliver training across the UK and the challenges expressed are sadly predictable. Caseloads that cloud effective practice and limit learning. There is no end of passionate and compassionate practitioners, but it’ s hard to find people who feel truly valued. The machine is stifling creativity and personal growth and the pay is falling a long way short of being dignified. Dave Kneeshaw, leadership and motivational interviewing specialist, Betterminds
Efficiency savings which initially looked at rationalising management and admin structures have eaten into the bread and butter of our delivery. COVID was the next fallen tree across the road of change, causing further detours and lost time, resources and will. I’ ve worked across a number of services where agency working is almost standard and new workers are quickly burned out – particularly true in London, where even living wage can be difficult to actually live on and where Lidl is often a better option. It’ s time to do better. Clive Hallam, senior commissioning manager
It’ s true that services are driven by budgets, KPIs, stats, spreadsheets and micromanagement, I see it every day. There’ s simply no time to develop any meaningful therapeutic relationship with clients anymore. In an age where we should be expanding services, increasing the workforce, there’ s only shrinking budgets, increased competition for the meagre crumbs of tender bids, service closures and voluntary redundancy for experienced workers. It’ s cheaper to employ a younger person of 23 or so, and train them in a modular way.
The old days are gone, my friends. The old guard are one by one standing down, and I fear for what’ s next. Sean Havoc, substance misuse treatment specialist and harm reduction advocate
DDN welcomes all your comments. Please email the editor, claire @ cjwellings. com, join any of the conversations on our Facebook page, X and LinkedIn or send letters to DDN, CJ Wellings Ltd, Romney House, School Road, Ashford, Kent TN27 0LT. Longer comments and letters may be edited for space or clarity.
/ ddnmagazine @ ddnmagazine www. drinkanddrugsnews. com
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