Drug Policy in the UK: A Matter of Crime or Health

The UK comprises of 4 Nations. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland known as the Home Nations. All the Nations except for England have their own parliaments that can set certain policies whilst the UK Government has retained some powers. Drug policy spans both UK and devolved matters. In the field of drug policy the Home Nations consider it to be primarily a public health issue but the UK Government regard it as primarily a criminal justice issue. This means that within the UK there are different approaches to how drug supply, use and response can be treated. The purpose of this seminar is to explore these differences and their impact on individuals, families and communities.

The aim of this webinar is to reflect on how drug policy has evolved in the UK Home Nations (Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) to highlight key ways in which it has diverged from the UK Government approach, and to raise debate on how the Home Nations have shifted towards a health centred approach in their substance use strategies.

Learning Outcomes:

To assess how different approaches (criminal justice/health) impact on service provision and the receipt of services/support for drug related problems.
To examine what is meant by a health intervention and within that
To consider the role of the service recipient and as a driver in the provision/delivery of treatment services.

Presenters:

Martin Blakebrough

CEO of Kaleidoscope which primarily works in Wales

A Director of Developing a Caring Wales

A Trustee of Building Communities Trust

A Visiting Fellow in the department of Criminology for South Wales University

Dr Anne Campbell

Co-director Drug and Alcohol Research Network at QUB,

Programme Director , Masters in Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders @QUB

Co -chair of Recovery Committee, ACMD UK

Programme Director , Masters in Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders @QUB

Co -chair of Recovery Committee, ACMD UK

Justina Murray

CEO Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs

Previously the Chief Officer of South West Scotland Community Justice Authority and Co-ordinator of North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership

PhD in social policy from the University of Glasgow, based on an exploratory study of models of empowerment in eight Scottish community development projects.

Justina is on the board of North Ayrshire Women’s Aid and the executive governance group for the Children's and Young People's Centre for Justice (CYCJ) at the University of Strathclyde.

Moderator:

Annette Dale-Perera

Webinars and online events delivered and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.