SIG Vision and Aims
The Drugs SIG unites public health specialists and academics in collaboration with cross-agency partners to advocate for drug policies, practice, and service delivery that will advance public health and human rights.
Please note the work of the Drugs SIG relates to substances controlled or banned in the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. For work related to alcohol and nicotine products respectively please contact the Alcohol SIG and Smoking & Vaping SIG.
The SIG aims to:
- Expand the network of public health, medical and third sector organisations who share our vision for public health and human rights focused drug policies.
- Increase collaboration with groups with lived experience of drug use and dependence.
- Leading up to the next General Election, work with these partners to influence political party manifestos to adopt public health and human rights focused approaches.
- Continue reactively responding to national consultations and presenting at events to influence drug policy formulation and delivery.
- Build on proactive projects to promote evidence-based harm reduction interventions, public health and human rights orientated drug policies, and efforts to improve healthcare provision for people who use drugs.
- Collaborate with research partners to build the evidence base for interventions and policy approaches to reduce drug and drug policy-related harm.
Contact
The Drugs Special Interest Group is chaired by Euan Lawson. The Vice Chairs of the group are . The group reports to the FPH Health Services Committee. The Chair can be contacted at DrugsSIG@fph.org.uk.
Join the Drugs SIG
FPH members can join this SIG by logging into their FPH members’ portal account, selecting the ‘Committees/SIGs’ button and choosing the correct SIG. You will then be asked to provide a few details, following which your application will be automatically approved. Further details on FPH membership are available here.
Recent Drugs SIG outputs
- Comment in the Lancet Public Health about the proliferation of nitazenes in the UK drug market.
- Evaluation of the UK Drugs Strategy published in the Journal of Public Health.
- Cross-agency letter advocating for amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to make it easier to pilot overdose prevention centres in the UK (co-organised by Drug Science) as featured in the BMJ.
- Comment in the Lancet Public Health discussing the arguments posed against overdose prevention centres.
- Cross-agency letter advocating for overdose prevention centre pilots in the UK, as featured in the Guardian and the BMJ.
FPH statements about drugs and drug policies
- FPH and ADPH response to ONS report on increasing drug-related deaths (2024).
- FPH and ADPH response to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Drugs 2023.
- FPH response to calls from the Scottish Government for a public health approach to drugs.
- FPH Policy Brief On Drugs, presented at the political party conferences in 2023.
- The Taking a New Line on Drugs report from the Royal Society for Public Health and FPH, which makes the case for drug policy reform.
FPH responses to calls for evidence / consultations
Related publications and resources
- Article in the Harm Reduction Journal on 'Rising transphobia and disparities in drug-related harm experienced by transgender and gender-diverse people', co-authored by FPH Drugs SIG Co-Chair Adam Holland and Dean Connolly.
- Editorial in the BMJ discussing the arguments and evidence for “safer supply” alternatives to unregulated drug markets, co-authored by members of the FPH Drugs SIG.
- Blog about the emergency of nitazenes on the UK drug market co-authored by FPH Drugs SIG Co-Chair Adam Holland.
- Review of evidence on overdose prevention centres summarising 570 articles, led by FPH Drugs SIG member Dr Gillian W Shorter.
- Comment in the International Journal of Drug Policy exploring the ethical dimensions of coercive drug policies, co-authored by members of the FPH Drugs SIG.
- Op-ed in the Daily Record written by Drugs SIG Co-Chair Adam Holland about the Scottish Government’s calls for a public health approach to drugs.
- Comment on the Swift Certain Tough White Paper published in the Pharmaceutical Journal co-written by Drugs SIG Co-Chair Adam Holland and pharmacy colleagues.
- Cross-agency letter organised by Transform Drug Policy and Release, highlighting issues with the Swift Certain Tough White Paper, which was supported by FPH.
- Proof-of-concept evaluation of the United Kingdom’s first unsanctioned overdose prevention site co-authored by FPH Drugs SIG member Dr Gillian W Shorter.
Webinar recordings
Faculty members can visit the FPH Members Portal to watch webinar recordings.
