Does UK drug policy require reform? Engaging drug takers into the debate

Drug policy reform is high on the global political agenda. Since the turn of the 21st century, several countries have shifted from prohibition policy. Academics, policy-makers, practitioners, and non-government organisations (NGOs) are discussing (and advocating for) drug policy reform in the UK focussing on the usefulness and relevance of the Misuse of Drugs (MDA) Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) 2016. Yet the voices of drug takers are largely absent from such debate and there is now increasing acknowledgement that contribution from drug takers is required to improve both the policy legitimacy and outcomes (UKDPC, 2012; Lancaster et al., 2014; Lancaster et al, 2015). The proposed research builds on two research projects conducted by the PI that interviewed 60 drug takers. Interviewees from both projects were asked for their opinions on drug policy and the law. Most drug takers were unable to distinguish between different policy approaches and were unclear about the definitions of, 'legalisation', 'regulation' and 'decriminalisation. For example, most were aware that Portugal decriminalised drugs in 2001, but they needed further clarification about what this meant in practice. This research aims to actively involve various drug takers into the drug policy debate by educating them about alternative policy approaches and engaging them in workshop discussions. More investigation is required to understand drug takers' views on policy (specifically on the current prohibitionist framework and alternative models, such as decriminalisation, medicalisation and regulation), how these opinions are formulated and what components of drug policy are important to drug takers. Through the inclusion and analysis of drug takers' experiences and opinions, a drug policy action plan will be formulated. This is necessary to make policy debates more inclusive and facilitate a space to better connect policy to those that it affects.

The project has 3 dualistic aims that both empower stigmatised groups (drug takers), whilst improving debates about drug policy reform

1: Improve debates about drug policy reform by involving drug takers' experiences and opinions
2: Create a drug action plan using the 'discursive democracy' approach with a range of drug takers
3: Share the findings of the research to key stakeholders to facilitate future interactions about drug policy development

These will be achieved through 5 practical objectives:
Ob1: Capture the level of drug-takers' knowledge and opinions of law and policy and establish how these opinions have been formulated by undertaking a baseline survey.
Ob2: Develop an educational video to outline different policy approaches to improve drug takers' knowledge and understanding.
Ob3: Co-ordinate workshops using 'discursive democracy' to generate qualitative data revealing drug-taker's opinions of current and alternative policy and actively encourage their participation in debate.
Ob4: Use the findings of the survey and workshops to formulate a comprehensive and informed drug policy action plan.
Ob5: Disseminate the drug policy action plan through academic conferences and peer-reviewed articles, and through relevant drug policy NGOs who engage and interact with policy-makers.

The potential applications and benefits are to:

1. Broaden the debates about UK drug policy reform to include a wide range of people who are directly affected by drug law and policy.

2. Help inform, educate and empower the public about political issues, in this instance drug policy.

3. Contribute to broader debates about the opportunities and potential for drug policy reform both nationally and globally.

4. Provide NGOs with academic research that can be used for evidence and lobbying to policy makers and government.

5. The video explaining current and alternative drug policy approaches could be used to educate the general public.

This project is specifically intended to provide research findings and evidence with a view to informing and improving the UK's drug policy and legislation. As such, it has potential for impact on a number of key beneficiary groups:
Policy makers: Policy makers will gain from a wider evidence base and a greater understanding of how the law and policy effects drug users and the public and what their perceptions are about opportunities for reform. This will open up new and possibly challenging areas for debate, which incorporate a broader range of opinions, more contemporary perspectives and evidence linked to genuine user experiences. Policy makers will be engaged with via a stakeholder event and the production of the Drug Policy Action Plan containing specific recommendations.
NGOs: NGOs such as the Beckley Foundation, Release and Volteface are discussing (and advocating for) drug policy reform in the UK focussing on the usefulness and relevance of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) 2016. NGOs and lobbyists will gain a greater understanding of drug takers' opinions and experiences and will be able to use this information to lobby government and the media. NGOs will also be able to use the educational video outlining various drug policy models within their organisations. By disseminating our findings to NGOs, the research can facilitate dialogue for future interactions between drug takers and policy.
Drug users: Through integrating drug taker participation into drug policy debates, those directly affected by policy will have the opportunity to have their opinions and experiences taken into consideration. Drug takers will be empowered by further education about different policy approaches and have a greater understanding about their own views about opportunities for reform. Providing drug takers with a platform to have their voices heard will help to reduce stigma and discrimination. There is currently no UK research that is engaging drug takers into policy debate and therefore this research will be instrumental in demonstrating the usefulness, as well as the challenges, of their inclusion.
Public engagement: Promotion of broader public engagement into drug policy debates will further educate and involve citizens into policy and politics. The educational video and the discursive democracy workshops could be used by various groups and organisations to gain a better understanding of views about drug policy. The discursive democracy approach could also be used to improve the connection between academia and the public more generally. It could be used in a variety of policy debates, such as prison policy reform or Britain's place in the European Union.
We have developed five 'Impact Objectives':
IO1: Promote and facilitate drug taker participation into drug policy debates in order to engage with those directly affected by policy.
IO2: Provide drug takers with information on current laws and alternative policy models for their education and to ascertain what their perspectives on these policies are.
IO3: Stimulate broader public engagement in drug policy debates to further educate and widen the range of citizens' input to policy decisions.
IO4: Contribute to the work of NGOs active in the drug policy field through collaboration and the provision of new evidence.
IO5: Provide policy makers with the currently unavailable evidence required to strengthen drug policy legitimacy and outcomes.
IO6: Develop and share a set of recommendations and actions in the form of a Drug Policy Action Plan.