DDS concern over stigmatisation of drug users

Devon Drug Service have responded to a story run by the Express & Echo, the Exeter area local paper, on 27th August entitled ‘Drug users targeting public with needles’.  The original article repeated the claims of council workers that “drug users are deliberately attempting to injure people with discarded needles in the city’s public toilets” and caused concern among DDS and EDP staff who felt the leap from negligent behavior to intent to cause harm was unsubstantiated. 

A second article was published on 2nd September in which Lucie Hartley, Chief Executive of EDP, acknowledged that it was “unacceptable and extremely concerning” that needles were being discarded in such a ways as to endanger others but argued that this did not mean drug users are deliberately intending to put the public at risk.  She went on to say that every effort is made to “encourage and promote safe needle disposal” and that DDS would work with the council to find ways of tackling this specific problem. 

Removing the stigma associated with drug misuse is a key strand of EDP’s strategy and includes ensuring that drug users are fairly represented in the press.  The UK Drug Policy Commission are currently undertaking research on the problems of stigmatisation following the ‘Sinning and Sinned Against’ report published last year which looked at what is known so far in this area.  For more information on this project please visit the NTA website (http://www.nta.nhs.uk/users-involved-stigma.aspx).

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