Employing people who use drugs at Exchange Supplies. Interview with the wonderful Andrew Preston

Thanks to Exchange Supplies for getting me samples of different crack pipes to take to @inhsu.bsky.social to run a workshop called Pins, Pipes and Paraphernalia. Co-facilitating with Susie McLean.

The other speakers were from the local drug treatment system, a business leader talking about engaging people with drug dependence in the workforce as employees with resilience who have come through struggles, and an employment lawyer discussing managing problem substance use issues in the workforce

Any amazing morning of speakers in Bergen Norway. Introduction from the Mayor. Marianne the inspirational leader of the Huset Bergen community-led cooperative. Other speakers included Morton and amazing war photographer who found his own healing beautifully photographing people who use drugs.

Privileged to be invited to speak at the Norwegian conference called Future Proof. Organised by the 3 drug user networks in Norway. The conference will be opened by the Mayor of Bergen and includes business and community leaders.

Help us raising funds for people who use drugs! Crowdfunding project between Drug Science and Coact to raise the costs of desktop publishing and video promotion of innovative community led housing project in Norway. Help us share learning about an alternative to street based drug use. Target: £10000

The good people at the community-led Hepatitis C Trust in the UK are looking for a female harm reduction coordinator in my old stomping grounds of Hackney in East London. Exciting chance to contribute to the elimination of HCV among people who use drugs.

I’m disappointed by BlueSky. I was looking for a new home after Twitter but not sure this is it. The lack of algorithms means there is no interaction with global community in different timezones. We need good algorithms that foster dialogue and collaboration.

Very sorry to hear about the loss on Tino Fuentes. Tino was a US drug user activist and harm reduction pioneer who drove the use of synthetic opioid test strips. He was also a passionate and infectiously dynamic person. Sending love and solidarity to our US community.

Another important day in the global calendar for people who use drugs. Remembering all our community members who have died during the war on drugs.

Very happy with podcast on harm reduction and letting communities lead. Anew podcast to explore harm reduction, community organising and to help in the growing conversation about the development of UK drug services. open.spotify.com/episode/0fSR...

Looking forward to recording a podcast this afternoon with Leon Eckford and Rhett Nicholl from St Mungo's podcast. We will be talking about harm reduction, particularly from a community-led perspective.

Chatham House event on Global Drug Policy: Former Presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, and former High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, outline how multilateral cooperation and policy change can reverse global drug trends. Worth a watch or listen!

Contributing to Global Commission on Drug Policy meeting in London this afternoon looking at UK Drug Policy - opportunities and challenges. Shared this article to introduce my position.

Attended WHO Forum on Alcohol Drugs & Addicted Behaviour. Anton Basenko INPUD described devastating US international aid cuts on organisations of people who use drugs. UNODC 2025 World Drugs Report shows that drugs out of control. Taliban crop destruction now impacting supply. Deadly times ahead.

Thank you Faculty of Public Health for acknowledging my outsider engagement in public health on drugs, HIV and hepatitis.

Good article from @mikejay.bsky.social for Transform. Coact is developing a new one-day catalytic training and planning event with a UK drug service. Chance to review and strengthen their response to ketamine and care pathways for those struggling with ketamine. transformdrugs.org/blog/how-bri...

Emanuel Sferios founder of DanceSafe and Matthew Arago are now facing hostile cease and desist action from Miraculix who want to control community testing technology for profit. grassrootsharmreduction.org/defend-harm-...

Dusting of the old whistle for a trip to London. Attending Award Ceremony for Faculty for Public Health. I am being given Honorary Membership of FPH for my contribution to public health of people who use drugs. Thanks to Dr Adam Holland and Professor Matt Hickman for the nomination.

Happy to be working with Drug User News and Altlier on a new TikTok venture to promote the work of drug user initiatives around the world. Creative thinking in difficult times.

Highly recommend @garthmullins.bsky.social book and audiobook - Crackdown: Surviving and Resisting the War on Drugs g.co/kgs/83JYSwW. Compelling, honest and inspiring. A must read for drug user, harm reduction and drug policy activists.

Packed up ready to leave Gombe for Abuja. Successful mission focussed on a co-production with DAPHO Outreach Team to deliver peer education messages in support of Unitaid funded low dead space syringes and needles (LDSS/N) study. Coact will share social media from mission next week.

Chris Rintoul describes interesting Cranstoun initiative to develop wearable overdose prevention device that helps hostel staff support their residents who use depressant drugs. Monitors heart rate, movement, oxygen levels etc.

The remarkable Senator Lynn Luane from Dublin cuts through to the heart of the issue highlighting how drug control is an extension of the colonial repression of poor people in working class estates.

Julie Hannah from International Centre for Human Rights and Drug Policy talks about the UN backed International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy. Restatement of core human rights but focussed on drug policy.

Zaved Mahmood Drug Policy Lead for UN Office of Human Rights Commissioner speaks at the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy Conference. Drug control drives human rights violations across the world in multiple domains.

A sad loss of a committed harm reduction and drug user activist, a proud father and a friend. Glad to have been your friend. RIP Peter Krykant!

Interesting interview from Times Radio with Daren McGarvey exploring the consequences of sharing lived experience of trauma in the media and online. youtu.be/f9JiGPdsnlU?...

Planning for a peer education initiative promoting low dead space syringes and needles and cleaning of needles and syringes. Inspired by Bleachman campaign we are thinking to use street theatre. Does anyone know of large needles and syringes that could be used as part of a street theatre project?

Talking with academic partners on major global study about publication policies. Understanding the need to give lead academics the chance to be lead or senior author. Important to understand the pressures on academics around authorship while also wanting to develop and validate community involvement

COWS is a tool for assessing opioid withdrawal symptoms that helps measure when people with opioid dependence are in mild to moderate withdrawal so ready for a 2MG tester dose of sublingual buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is not the right OAMT medication for all www.mdcalc.com/calc/1985/co...

Dr Megan Reid Harm Reduction Researcher at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia USA and Rose Lorano from Philadelphia Public Health Department are to be commended for excellent practice development webinar called Evolving Overdose Response and Xylazine Interventions Webinar.

Privileged to have the chance to deliver this prestigious speech at the #ISSDP2025. Happy to deliver a speech in the name of Franz Trautmann.

Early departure from Bath to London Heathrow Airport. Heading to Cairo to take part in training on long acting depot buprenophine. Then onto Nigeria next week to take part in low dead space needle and syringe reflective learning workshop in Gombe State

Nitrazenes in Europe. Learning from our local experience to draw out lessons of relevance for a European audience.

I am happy to be presenting to Independent Drug Expert Alliance (IDEA) for the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event about ketamine. Glad to have had the chance to review my training model and technical analysis from early 2000s and to check in on current practice.

Crack cocaine training from late 1990s / early 2000s. Championing harm reduction and self-control. So “back in the day” that these are acetates!! Course called Between A Rock and A Hard Place!

Surge of fake accounts trying to connect mostly “young women”. There seems no process of blocking or reporting these accounts. Maybe not needed as Bluesky is active at removing accounts.

Sending love and solidarity to all those who died and have been affected by the terrible earthquake that hit. The people of Myanmar will shortly hold a minutes silence to remember the moment the quake hit. www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Bath University test results! Reddy brown heroin - positive Nitazenes test strip. Contains heroin, new nitazene, medetomidine and clozapine. Nitazenes potent synthetic opioid Medetomidine is a veterinary anesthetic Clozapine is an antipsychotic medication with dangerous side effects.

Good solidarity from a local peer in recovery checking in with mates in Bath. Si tells me batch bring described as “date rape” heroin. Knocking peers out who report sleeping all day. Head spinning and headaches. Driving up habits leaving peers with cold shakes, shivers etc next day.

Nitazenes reflections The Bath P2PNSP ensured that a contaminated batch was tested and warnings sent out 3-4 days after it arrived on the drug scene. However, deaths were only avoided because it wasn’t a killer cut. Drug checking needs to stop contaminated supplies hitting the market.

Nitazene reflections - Harm reduction advice should offer a hierarchy of harm reduction options that help peers do the best they can in their circumstances. It is best to avoid simple negative warnings.

Nitazenes reflections - warnings Risk that warnings of strong drugs become unintended adverts for risky batches. Tailored and tested harm reduction messages needed. Focus on unpleasant effect, risk of increasing habit, need to redose every 4 hours = more work, greater risk, less return.

Nitazene reflections - test strips 5. A QR code is provided to report results on packet. inaccessible if no smart phone. The QR codes links to inaccessible US websites. 6. Local service gives out test strips in envelopes with number to report positive test results.

Nitazene reflections - test strips 3. Heroin needs to be dissolved 1:10 water solution to use the test strip. Too much heroin can give a false positive. 4. One test strip guides use of “strip pouch” and education is needed to explain that this is the packet containing the test strip.

Nitazene Reflections - test strips 1. Test strips help people who use drugs identify if their heroin is cut with synthetic opioids. This is helpful in the early stage of a synthetic opioid crisis. 2. Test strips trigger peers to take extra risk management strategies.

Heroin in Bath is testing positive for nitazenes. New batch - distinctive reddy colour. Peers reporting feeling headachy, dizzy and light headed. Making people sedated and sleepy. Pushing tolerance up so peers clucking when switching source.

Great #DrugScience event at 12:00 UK today on Mephedrone. The most widely used Novel Psychoactive Substance. Short acting cathinone. Speakers Karenza Moore David Nutt and Adam R Winstock. Well worth a listen and learn!

In the middle of every devastating human rights crisis you will find stories of hope. IDUCare (spoken “I do care”) are a remarkable community-led organisation from Cebu City, Philippines. They have kept their local community safe from Deterte’s butchery of people who use drugs in the Philippines.