With UK drug deaths at their highest recorded levels, more than 90 organisations and 240 individuals have signed an open letter calling on the Government to amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, which would make it easier to establish pilot Overdose Prevention Centres. This is an easy step that would not require primary legislation.
The letter has been published by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and can be found here if you would like to sign.
Signatories so far include the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, various Royal Colleges including the Royal College of Physicians, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, nursing groups including the National HIV Nurses Association, the Royal Society for Public Health, the British Medical Association, various Members of Parliament from England, Scotland and Wales and numerous doctors, health specialists and policy experts.
The FPH are also encouraging people to share the sign-up link on social media with the hashtag #PilotOPCs. FPH has tweeted about it here.
Additionally, a short film about the New York OPC has been published by Transform Drug Policy Foundation, which may be of interest – here.
The Faculty of Public Health previously published an open letter in December 2021 calling for pilot Overdose Prevention Centres in the UK, co-signed by 84 leading organisations, including The Hepatitis C Trust.