Scottish Drugs Forum

04/09/2026

Recovery is not one moment, one path, or one destination.

It’s found in the everyday choices people make toward hope, connection, wellbeing and change.

This Recovery Month, we celebrate every act of courage – big or small – and continue challenging the stigma and barriers that prevent people from getting the support they deserve.

Every positive change matters 💜

03/09/2026

Last week, our annual Stop The Deaths conference brought together more than 400 people to explore how we can strengthen policy, improve services and advance harm reduction practice.

Our international speakers were particularly powerful, showing how evidence-based harm reduction approaches are saving lives around the world.

Scotland must learn from this evidence – and act on it.

We believe harm reduction must be expanded, accelerated and protected. It should be at the heart of Scotland’s response to drug-related harm, alongside accessible treatment, recovery and wider support.

Because to stop the deaths, Scotland must follow the evidence.

https://www.stopthedeaths.com/2026theme

02/09/2026

Yesterday, the First Minister announced the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, setting out its policy and legislative priorities for the year ahead.

While we welcome the renewed attention to drug-related harms, we are concerned that the response remains far short of what is required to effectively address a public health emergency.

Kirsten Horsburgh, our Chief Executive Officer, says:

“The headlines following the Programme for Government have understandably focused on the proposed shift from 14 health boards to just two. While it remains to be seen what this will mean in practice for drug and alcohol treatment and support, implementation of the MAT Standards must be protected and accelerated. The new structure must also retain a strong understanding of local needs, particularly those of people in rural and remote areas.

“The Programme for Government accurately describes Scotland’s drug deaths as a public health emergency. But the Scottish Government has used this term since 2019 – and, seven years on, people are still dying preventable deaths at a rate that is still the highest in Europe. The continued recognition of the scale of the crisis is welcome, but the response remains far short of what is needed.

“There are many reasons for the disappointing pace of change, but the impact of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 looms large. It is simply not possible to deliver the modern, public health-led response that Scotland needs while being constrained by legislation that is more than 50 years old.

“Drugs law is reserved to Westminster, but that cannot be where the conversation ends. Scotland’s political representatives must challenge the UK Government to fundamentally overhaul the Misuse of Drugs Act, while also being much more ambitious about what can be achieved through the powers and mechanisms available to Scotland.

“That means asking difficult questions about what more can be done through the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, health and social care, policing, local government and every other lever at our disposal.

“Seven years after Scotland’s drug-related deaths were declared a public health emergency, the question is simple: how much longer are we prepared to call it an emergency without delivering an emergency response?”

https://buff.ly/xTjodEV

Yesterday, the First Minister announced the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, setting out its policy and legislative priorities…

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

Our team worked alongside our friends from Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) at Waverley Station yesterday to provide training on how to recognise and respond to an opioid overdose.

We distributed 210 naloxone kits. Our team and partners also taught people how to use the life-saving overdose medication naloxone in just 10 minutes.

Fracesco Sportelli (right), We See You coordinator at Simon Community Scotland, says: “I believe that everyone should be trained to administer naloxone and should carry it with them every day.

“We don’t learn CPR because we expect someone to collapse in front of us. We learn it because we want to be ready if that happens. Naloxone is the same: in an emergency, having it - and knowing how to use it - could mean the difference between life and death."

Lily Tait (centre) says: "At Simon Community Scotland, naloxone is central to our harm reduction efforts - a principle we all share. The We See You team, alongside the wonderful peer naloxone training group, and in collaboration with SDF and SAS, has organized a massive naloxone distribution event to raise public awareness about naloxone the life-saving potential it has."

01/09/2026

Yesterday was International Overdose Awareness Day – a time to honour those we have lost to overdose and recognise the profound impact on families, friends and communities.

Today, as we enter Recovery Month, our annual Stop The Deaths initiative begins.

Our message is clear: to stop the deaths, Scotland must follow the evidence.

That’s why we’re introducing SDF View On… This new monthly series will explore the evidence behind key issues and setting out what needs to change.

We’re starting with safer drug consumption facilities.

Scottish Drugs Forum has been working to reduce drug-related harm in Scotland for 40 years. But our anniversary is not a reason to look back – it is a reminder of why this work remains so important. We will continue to challenge, campaign and work for a Scotland free from drug-related harm.

https://sdf.org.uk/sdf-view-on-safer-drug-consumption-facilities/

31/08/2026

For 25 years, International Overdose Awareness Day has been a time to honour loved ones lost to drug overdose without stigma, acknowledge the grief of families and friends, and promote evidence-based action and education to prove that overdose is preventable.

For many, this remembrance is part of everyday life. Today gives us a moment to stand together and strengthen our resolve to prevent more lives being lost.

At Scottish Drugs Forum, we will continue to challenge stigma, follow the evidence and campaign for the changes needed to prevent drug-related deaths – as we work towards a Scotland free from drug-related harm.

31/08/2026

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day.

“You do not need to be a medical professional to carry or administer naloxone. If you can spare us just 10 minutes this International Overdose Awareness Day, we can show you how to save a life.”

Today, we’re at Edinburgh Waverley Station with Simon Community Scotland and support from Scottish Ambulance Service, providing free overdose prevention training and naloxone kits.

🕗 8am–6pm
📍 Edinburgh Waverley Station

It takes just ten minutes to learn how to recognise and respond to an opioid overdose. That knowledge could help save a life.

Together, we can Stop The Deaths

28/08/2026

Ten minutes could save a life.

What if ten minutes of your time could help save someone’s life?

We’re working alongside Simon Community Scotland, with support from Scottish Ambulance Service, to provide free naloxone training at Edinburgh Waverley Station on Monday, 31 August for International Overdose Awareness Day.

Find out more: https://buff.ly/uuF5fjZ

To mark International Overdose Awareness Day, commuters at Edinburgh Waverley Station can get free naloxone training and kits People in Edinburgh can learn how…

27/08/2026

Chaired by our Training and Development Officer (Peer Naloxone), Emir Taha, this closing session brought together reflections and insights from our conference listeners:

Gareth Balmer, WithYou
Tracey McFall, Scottish Recovery Consortium
Darren Anderson, SDF Board and Minds Of Recovery

Chloe Henderson, a member of Advocates for Change closed the conference with a powerful call to action. Chloe highlighted the importance of rights not being an abstract legal concept, and the fact they must be consistently implemented in a way that makes a difference to people's everyday lives.

She added: "People with lived experience aren't asking for a seat at anyone's table, they're building their own table"

A great end to the conference, highlighting key takeaways, shared learning, and the collective commitment to advancing drug policy, reducing harm, and amplifying living and lived experience.

Thank you to everyone who joined us over the last two days and a massive thank you to all our speakers and chairs, including those who joined our panels to contribute to Q&A sessions.

Let us know in the comments what discussions you enjoyed the most.