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Contents
editor’s letter
ON THE COVER
‘Never forget kindness in
a results-driven age’
Sensitive support: a lifeline for sex workers p6
4 NEWS
Canada legalises cannabis; time for an evidence-based alcohol strategy.
6 THE POWER OF CONNECTION
N
A sensitive approach is key, says the Sex Worker Outreach Project.
8 TREATMENT CRISIS
Act now to stop rising buprenorphine costs, says Roz Gittins.
9 PAYING THE PRICE
A look at the issues behind the buprenorphine price rise.
10 THE RIGHT FIX?
Consumption rooms would be a luxury in an age of austerity, says Nick Goldstein.
12 MORE THAN NUMBERS
Drug-related death figures map out deprivation, hears parliamentary group.
13 NEW OPTIONS ON NALOXONE
Graham Parsons looks at the potential for intranasal naloxone.
14 EXCHANGE
Just have the chat, say Addaction; Trevi House offers vital respite.
15 CLEAR STEER ON ALCOHOL
Health organisations lobby for an alcohol strategy that’s fit for purpose.
16 ON THE RIGHT TRACK
PHE’s Laura Pechey on keeping up to speed with drug-related harms.
17 EXPERIENCE COUNTS
The 2019 Global Drug Survey wants to hear from you.
18 LETTERS AND COMMENT
The truth behind statistics; about legalisation; urban recovery.
19 CLINICAL EYE
We need to understand nurses’ motivation, says Ishbel Straker.
20 ENDNOTE
A fond farewell to two heroes of harm reduction.
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ever under-estimate the power of kindness and a safe space.
The SWOP project featured in our cover story showcases the
best kind of outreach – meeting people at the stage they’re at,
offering comfort and safety first and foremost, and then providing the
first links to a network of support. It’s a way of working, and a set of
values, that we shouldn’t forget in this results-driven age. Outreach
work can be so very undervalued as budget cuts bite, but without
projects such as this many people would stay under the radar, scarred
by trauma and unable to move on.
As so many of you are striving to do your best with limited budgets
it’s frustrating to see the spiralling costs of buprenorphine and
extremely worrying to think about the effect on clients’ stability and
progress. The issues behind the price increase are complicated (page 9)
but we are in complete agreement with Roz Gittins (page 8) that the
situation must be resolved as quickly as possible.
Getting the medication right is among the many things we know will
help to prevent drug-related deaths. After listening to the latest ONS
figures, participants of a recent parliamentary meeting wanted more
information around the personal stories of those who are recorded as
statistics (page 12) – and we already know that austerity, homelessness
and leaving prison without the right support are major contributors.
We also know that a clear, evidence-based alcohol strategy could
make a vast difference to many lives. The charter (page 15) gives
measures that would improve treatment, find those in need of support
and protect public health – all the while bringing a substantial return
on investment and reducing the burden on the NHS. We hope that
government will respond to this important document.
Claire Brown, editor
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November 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 3