Drink and Drugs News DDN September 2019 | страница 3

Keep in touch with us via Facebook and Twitter! /DDNMagazine @DDNMagazine ContEnts ‘Harm reduction is not the preserve of one community’ ON THE COVER Harm reduction must rise again, p6 4 NEWS Highest drug death toll – again; More research needed on medicinal cannabis. 6 AGENTS OF CHANGE We urgently need to become activists once more, says Nick Wilson. 8 NEWS FOCUS: THANKS FOR SHARING Data sharing is lagging dangerously behind in the battle to eliminate hep C. 10 A PRESCRIPTION FOR PAIN Paul was prescribed OxyContin after an industrial injury. As he tells us, it was the start of his problems. 11 POST-ITS FROM PRACTICE Dr Steve Brinksman discusses his approach to prescribing opioid painkillers. 12 CRISIS POINT Thoughts on how to reverse the appalling trend of drug-related deaths. 13 LETTERS & COMMENT In her Clinical Eye column Ishbel Straker asks what we are doing to support nurses’ health; more on the legalisation debate in letters. 13 MEDIA SAVVY The news, and the skews, in the national media. 14 CASE DISMISSED Why are improvements to custody-community transitions being ignored? 16 UPPING THEIR GAME Claire Brown, editor Keep in touch at www.drinkanddrugsnews.com and @DDNmagazine The sixth annual Recovery Games were the best yet, says Stuart Green. DDN is published by CJ Wellings Ltd, Romney House, School Road, Ashford, Kent TN27 0LT t: 0845 299 3429 www.drinkanddrugsnews.com Editor: Claire Brown e: [email protected] Subscriptions: e: [email protected] Advertising manager: Ian Ralph e: [email protected] website: www.drinkanddrugsnews.com Reporter: David Gilliver e: [email protected] Designer: Jez Tucker e: [email protected] Website support by wiredupwales.com Printed on environmentally friendly paper by the Manson Group Ltd S eptember is a glorious opportunity to celebrate recovery month and we’re delighted to hear about the activities taking place all over the country. The Recovery Games in Doncaster (page 16) sums up the spirit of events and we’re looking forward to following what’s happening around the country. But as we do so, let’s remember our common purpose. Harm reduction is not the preserve of one community – it’s all of our business and should be central to everything we do, whatever the drug and whatever the treatment preference. Nick Wilson’s piece (cover story, page 6) is a reminder that activism is essential, and that includes the kind of community engagement that makes recovery messages so visible and effective. The ‘culture of acceptance and engagement’ should be the unifying force that propels harm reduction to the heart of mainstream healthcare and policy. We have plenty of evidence for this, right down to the depressing year-on-year increase in drug-related deaths. The evidence is particularly clear when looking at custody- community transitions (page 14) – an area where small changes in practice could make a vast difference to prisoners’ chances of success. As Alex Stevens points out, there’s much that can be done in the short term for a population ‘so highly vulnerable to health problems’. Meanwhile, in this month’s News Focus (page 8) we look at progress on hepatitis C and find some important messages on data sharing if we are to meet NHS England’s ambitious elimination target of 2025. Cover by JellyPics DDN is an independent publication, entirely funded by advertising. Proud to work in partnership with: CJ Wellings Ltd does not accept respon si bility for the accuracy of state ments made by contri bu t ors or advertisers. The contents of this magazine are the copyright of CJ Wellings Ltd, but do not necess arily represent its views, or those of its partner organisations. September 2019 | drinkanddrugsnews | 3 Editor’s lEttEr