Contents ON THE COVER
Contemplating a landscape of change and fear , HIT Hot Topics speakers called for solidarity . editor ’ s letter
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Contents ON THE COVER
Contemplating a landscape of change and fear , HIT Hot Topics speakers called for solidarity . editor ’ s letter
4 NEWS Prison deaths hit record levels ; nearly two thirds of opioid users in treatment .
6 ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE HIT Hot Topics tackled a landscape of uncertainty and fear . DDN reports .
8 BY HOOK OR BY CROOK We need to reach people with problematic cannabis use , says Lizzie McCulloch .
9 FROM OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT Dr Chris Ford hears about when substance use collides with the trauma of war .
9 MEDIA SAVVY The news and the skews in the national media .
10 LETTERS AND REVIEW Recovery ; the alcohol industry ; and Mark Reid reviews Sober Stick Figure .
11 ADJUSTING THE FOCUS CRI recently became change , grow , live . DDN finds out why from Mark Moody .
12 MAKING CHOICE REAL How can we improve options to bring more people into services , asks DDN .
14 A MOMENT TO REFLECT Addaction look back on how a grieving mother led to their creation 50 years ago .
16 WINNING ATTITUDE Catherine Larkin and Danny Hames show the value of proactive naloxone strategy .
17 SAFE CORNER What ’ s the argument for drug consumption rooms ? Natalie Davies investigates .
18 FOCUS ON FAMILY George Allan ’ s Resources Corner shares a valuable tool for working with relatives .
18 LEGAL EYE Nicole Ridgwell advises on showing evidence of clear pathways from treatment .
19 A MATTER OF CONVICTION Tony Margetts looks at whether prison reform is heading in the right direction .
‘ The situation requires a real shake-up in the way we engage ’
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We begin to categorise and stigmatise without even realising it ,’ said a speaker at Hit Hot Topics ( page 6 ). Throughout the event we heard how ‘ language can become perception ’ and be very alienating . We also heard about people who inject drugs ‘ being called transmitters and tracked like salmon ’ and feeling ‘ dehumanised ’.
But we were also reminded of our responsibilities in actively challenging stigma and overturning myth . Public perception – relating to supervised injection facilities for instance – was found to be based on a lack of knowledge .
Within the sector we have a wealth of expertise to address this . Natalie Davies examines the argument for consumption rooms in detail ( page 17 ); Catherine Larkin and Danny Hames take stock of the value of a naloxone strategy ( page 16 ); Tony Margetts evaluates the progress of prison reform ( page 19 ); Lizzie McCulloch looks at a new approach to cannabis policy and treatment ( page 8 ) and two of the major treatment charities explain how they are tuned to the challenges ahead ( page 11 and 14 ).
In a climate of fear , information-sharing is our weapon to keep options open and steer policy towards life-saving gains . As Stephen Malloy says ( page 13 ), ‘ For the person whose life depends on it , the situation could not be more crucial and requires a fundamental shake-up in the way we view and engage people who use drugs , those receiving OST medicines , service users and patients .’
We ’ ll be challenging stigma and indifference at our tenth anniversary service user involvement conference , ‘ One Life ’ – hope to see you in Birmingham on 23 February !
Claire Brown , editor
Keep in touch at www . drinkanddrugsnews . com and @ DDNmagazine
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Published by CJ Wellings Ltd , 57 High Street , Ashford , Kent TN24 8SG
Editor : Claire Brown t : 01233 638 528 e : claire @ cjwellings . com
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February 2017 | drinkanddrugsnews | 3 |