JANUARY

The year starts on a comparatively upbeat note , with an evidence review from PHE finding that 60 per cent of England ’ s opioid users are now in treatment – a high rate internationally – with rates of HIV infection among injecting drug users remaining at just 1 per cent . High drug-related death figures and low rates of abstinence from opiates after three and six months of treatment , however , are cause for concern , it warns . Barack Obama , meanwhile , marks the end of his presidency by commuting hundreds of ‘ unduly long sentences for drug crimes ’, in sharp contrast to the ‘ just say no ’ rhetoric soon to be espoused by his successor .

problem drug users , while the Liberal Democrats call for possession of drugs for personal use to be decriminalised as a way of easing the overcrowding problem in Britain ’ s increasingly volatile jails .

of big bad commissioners and funding constraints ,’ former board member and ex-UKDPC chief Roger Howard tells DDN . ‘ But in this circumstance I think that narrative probably needs to be challenged .’

had to ‘ go hand in hand with prevention and recovery ,’ said home secretary Amber Rudd . The sheer scale of the challenge is aptly illustrated by analysis from the King ’ s Fund revealing that local authorities have been forced to reduce planned public health spending on services like drug and alcohol treatment by £ 85m as a result of government cuts .

FEBRUARY

DDN ’ s annual service user conference hits double figures with One Life , another vibrant day of debate and networking that sees delegates from across the country gather to make this tenth event the best yet . ‘ You have voices , you ’ re at risk , your friends and family have died ,’ Collective Voice head Paul Hayes tells the conference . ‘ These stories need to be heard .’

MARCH

Durham Constabulary takes a bold step by announcing its intention to offer heroin-assisted treatment to

APRIL

President Trump dismays activists and harm reductionists as he signals a return to 1980s-style prevention campaigns , while closer to home the National Crime Agency issues a warning about the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogues , which worryingly appear to be making inroads into the UK drug market .

MAY

The closure of Lifeline after almost 50 years sends shockwaves through the sector , with CGL stepping in to take over many of the contracts for its 80,000 service users . ‘ It ’ s easy for the field to think that this is all the result

JUNE

An optimistic month for the harm reduction community as a new report moves Glasgow ’ s proposed consumption room a step closer and one of the country ’ s leading public health bodies calls for music festivals to provide drug testing facilities ‘ as standard ’. Activists worldwide also take to the streets for the fifth annual Support . Don ’ t Punish day of action .

JULY

The much delayed Drug strategy 2017 finally sees the light of day , and gets a mixed reception from the field . While the government had driven a tough law enforcement approach it

AUGUST

Scotland yet again records its highest ever number of drug-related deaths , at close to 900 . The figure is 23 per cent higher than the previous year and more than double that of a decade ago , making the country ’ s fatality rate the highest in the EU , while deaths in