JULY

‘ The chances of political time and energy being focused on addressing alcohol and drug treatment are negligible ,’ Collective Voice head Paul Hayes writes in DDN as he considers Brexit ’ s implications for the sector . While this may be useful in preventing ‘ renewed ideological attacks ’ in the short term , he says , the sector needs to come together to ‘ find a new narrative , as persuasive to local authorities as previous harm reduction and crime-led narratives have been to central government ’.

AUGUST

Another bleak milestone for Scotland as the country records its highest ever level of drug-related deaths for the third year in a row . With over 700 fatalities in 2015 – nearly two per day , and more than double the figure from a decade ago – the statistics are ‘ a national tragedy ’ and ‘ the ultimate indicators ’ of the country ’ s entrenched health inequalities , says Scottish Drugs Forum chief David Liddell . More than 300 NGOs sign an open letter to the UN ’ s drug control bodies urging them to call for an immediate stop to the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders in the Philippines by president Duterte .

SEPTEMBER

Hot on the heels of last month ’ s grim figures from Scotland , the ONS reveals that the number of heroin-related deaths in England and Wales has doubled in the space of four years , to

more than 1,200 . The highest number of deaths , for the third year running , are in the North East , while in the Philippines more than 3,000 people are now thought to have fallen victim to Duterte ’ s ‘ war on drugs ’.

OCTOBER

The Glasgow City Joint Integration Board approves the development of a business case for the UK ’ s first consumption room , along with provision of heroin-assisted

treatment , generating predictably outraged headlines in some newspapers . Meanwhile , France opens its first consumption room in Paris , with another to follow in Strasbourg .

NOVEMBER

As the world digests the news that Donald Trump is to become the 45th US president , another set of American voting results see recreational cannabis legalised in four more states , including California .

DECEMBER

A year that many people will be keen to see the back of draws to a close , and still no sign of the 2016 Drug Strategy . However , preparations are well under way for DDN ’ s milestone tenth annual service user conference . With drug-related deaths continuing to rise and resources diminishing , the need for strong , targeted , effective service user involvement has never been stronger . Join us in Birmingham and let ’ s make a difference !

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December 2016 | drinkanddrugsnews | 7