DDN Magazine November 2020 | Page 18

Use the evidence
Change the law

DRUG-RELATED DEATHS

No time to lose

We ’ ve reached a critical point with drug-related deaths . Here are five things we all must do better , says Karen Tyrell

I

was a drug worker myself 20 years ago and the everinflating drug-related deaths total still makes me feel sick at heart .
The latest figures show another desperately sad increase . We get into this sector because we care . These are people we did our best for and who were cared for by their family and friends . We know they ’ re not just numbers on a spreadsheet somewhere .
But the reality is that local alcohol and drug services are operating under immense pressure as our funding continues to decrease . And given that we are in a world which also has a pandemic , it doesn ’ t feel hopeful that this is going to change quickly .
Indeed , the dissolution of Public Health England , too , makes it feel like we have now come to a critical point . We are waiting to hear the outcome of the second stage of the Dame Carol Black review – but the spending review has been shelved
‘ The time for an overhaul of current drug laws , which are outdated and not evidence based , is long overdue . Services also need to be adequately resourced , but not in isolation . Substance misuse , social inequality , and poor health – mental and physical – are all connected .’

Use the evidence

The time for an overhaul of current drug laws , which are outdated and not evidence based , is long overdue .
Services also need to be adequately resourced , but not in isolation . Substance misuse , social inequality , and poor health – mental and physical – are all connected . Over the last decade the death rate has been significantly higher in deprived areas .
Services across different sectors of health and social care should be provided with the resources and autonomy to break down arbitrary and harmful divisions , especially those between substance misuse and mental health services . This will reduce stigma and allow passionate frontline workers to focus on people instead of processes .
We are at a crucial tipping point . Without a change in direction and without evidencebased approaches , deaths will continue to increase . Mark Moody , chief executive , Change Grow Live

Change the law

In the last 12 months , two parliamentary select committees – the Health and Social Care Select Committee and the Scottish Affairs Select Committee – have called for drug policy reform in the UK in order to tackle drug-related deaths , citing the need for investment in treatment and harm reduction , supporting calls for overdose prevention sites and calling for a review of the law to end criminal sanctions for possession offences .
If the home secretary and the prime minister continue to ignore these calls , then they will continue to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people every year . It is time to stop playing politics and listen to the evidence .
Drug deaths are not inevitable . This public health crisis will not abate unless we scale up harm reduction initiatives and pursue policies based on science and evidence rather than ideology and moralism . Niamh Eastwood , executive director , Release
18 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • NOVEMBER 2020 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM