Glasgow

To mark International Overdose Awareness Day, Scottish Drugs Forum’s Stop The Deaths Conference will gather key stakeholders to discuss Scotland’s response to the public health emergency of drug-related deaths and how change is being, or could be, made.

The conference will be chaired by Anastacia Ryan, University of Glasgow, Lead for Women at Recovering Justice and Founder of the SISU Group.

Alison Byrne, Deputy Director for Drugs and Alcohol Policy at The Scottish Government will open the event presenting an update from the Minister and give an overview of progress with the National Drugs Mission.

Sheila Vakharia from the Drug Policy Alliance, USA, will deliver the keynote presentation on Harm Reduction: A Guide to the Core Approach and will engage in a Q&A session and table discussions.

Sheila Vakharia is the author of The Harm Reduction Gap.

A complimentary copy of The Harm Reduction Gap is included with event registration. Additional copies will be available for purchase at the event.

Anna Millington will present on the stigma faced by women and mothers who use drugs, followed by a panel discussion featuring individuals with lived experiences.

Presentations will include Saket Priyadarshi discussing the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility and Julie McAdam from the University of Glasgow examining pathology and toxicology in recent drug-related deaths in Scotland.

The conference will also feature a presentation on recent research into the lived experiences of recent MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment) provision in Scotland, followed by a panel with peer researchers and others sharing their lived experiences.