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This webinar will take place on Thursday 25th September at 14:00pm, focusing on Safer Inhalation Devices. As part of our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, we want ‘to be able to give out safer inhalation devices to people who use crack cocaine via needle and syringe programmes’. Currently, drug treatment services across the UK are prohibited from providing SIDs to people who use crack cocaine, under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971, section 9A, However, there has been a significant rise in both people reporting crack cocaine, and cocaine related deaths. We will hear what plans are afoot, here in Wales regarding SIDs, as well as the impact they have had, on the ground, when such harm reduction interventions have been piloted.

Professor Rick Lines

Head of Substance Misuse and Vulnerable Populations for Public Health Wales

Rick Lines is Head of Substance Misuse and Vulnerable Populations for Public Health Wales, and has been working in harm reduction since 1993. He has been called ‘a key figure in the emerging field of human rights and drug policy’ and is known for his work and writing on topics including international drug control law, prisoners’ rights, HIV and human rights, capital punishment and harm reduction.  He is the former Executive Director of Harm Reduction International and of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, and is co-founder and Chair of the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy at the University of Essex.  Rick holds a Professorship in the Department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at Swansea University.

 

Mat Southwell

Managing and Technical Director of Coact Technical Support

Mat Southwell is Managing and Technical Director of Coact Technical Support. Coact is a community-led training and consultancy company that supports harm reduction, drug treatment, and community mobilisation with people who use drugs around the world. Mat has been a longstanding champion of responses to people who use stimulant drugs. He founded the Crack Squad, a peer education initiative and facilitated a training partnership with the Royal College of General Practice that resulted in their ground-breaking Guidance for working with cocaine and crack users in primary care (2004). Mat led a team of community-led experts who researched and drafted the WHO UNODC UNAIDS Technical Guide on HIV prevention, treatment, care and support with people who use stimulant drugs (2019) Mat has developed and delivered the training toolkit that supports the 8 interventions recommended in the Technical Guide. Mat is the Community Investigator on Professor Magdalena Harris’ Safe Inhalation Pipe Provision study, which tests the value of distributing pipes to people who use crack cocaine. Mat will introduce a new technical resource on stimulant pipe provision that Coact has produced as part of the Unitaid-funded study into Hepatitis C elimination in low and middle income countries.

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You can watch all previous webinars via our YouTube channel, or listen to them via our Drugs Unwrapped podcast, where ever you get your podcasts from. Below is an overview of each previous webinar

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Webinar 1 – Why language is important

This webinar took on Wednesday 18th June 2025 focusing on ‘Why language is important’ when communicating about substance use. We also launched our ‘Why language matters‘ terminology guide that has been co-produced with people with lived and living experience of substance use.

Our guest speakers were:

Deb Hussey

Account Support & Harm Reduction Lead, Exchange Supplies

Rob Barker

Campaigns and Communications Lead, Barod

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Webinar 2 – Family and concerned others

This webinar took place on Thursday 17th July 2025 at 10am, focusing on family and concerned others of people who use substances. As part of our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, we are asking for ‘Concerned others to be a recognised group of people within their own right and adequately supported to help improve the health and wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones’. Our speakers will be focusing on the work and support that is taking place and available for family and concerned others, here in Wales.

Our guest speakers were:

Anna Lewis

Young Person’s Service Manager, Cardiff and The Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS)

Kate Doyle

Team Leader, Cardiff and The Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS)

Andrew McCutchion

CYP Family and Concerned Other Worker, Cardiff and The Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS)

Joely Rose

Team Leader, Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service (GDAFS)

Mike Blanche

Family Worker, Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service (GDAFS)

 

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Webinar 3 – Drug Overdose Good Samaritan Act

This webinar took place on Monday 1st September at 14:00pm, focusing on the Drug Overdose Good Samaritan Act. As part of our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, we are asking for Wales to become the first country in Europe, and follow Canada’s lead, and many states in the US, in implementing such legislation that can provide legal protection for individuals who experience or witness a suspected drug-related overdose. The act will help reduce fear of police attending overdose events and encourage people to seek emergency help and help save a life. Under current laws, many will, and do not respond in the most appropriate manner due to fear of arrest and prosecution. We heard about Canada’s experience of their own Drug Overdose Good Samaritan Act, as well as support for implementing such legislation here in Wales.

Our guest speakers were:

Peredur Owen Griffiths MS

Senedd Regional Member for Plaid Cymru and chair of the Substance Use and Addiction – Cross Party Group

Image source: Senedd.Wales. Please click here to view the licence for the use of this image.

Corey Ranger

Director, Harm Reduction Nurses Association (Canada)