Drug policy failures have fueled health harms, human rights abuses, injustice and stigma across the globe, but even the bleakest statistics often fail to capture the human face of this generational tragedy. It is incredibly hard for people directly affected to speak out, especially on the issue of drug policy. For that reason, the voices of lived experience have often been muted in drug policy debates.

When we launched the Anyone’s Child campaign in 2015, we had no way of knowing what its impact might be. We started small – just a few brave individuals who knew that the tragedies they had experienced were a consequence of our failed drug policies. Over the years, the campaign has grown to become one of the most prominent and effective advocacy groups in the area of drug policy.

Our family members have opened doors to politicians that were previously closed; they have been the focus of countless media stories; and they have become the faces of all those who realise that prohibition only makes drugs more dangerous, and their effects more devastating. They have had an impact both in the UK and internationally. Anyone’s Child members were identified by Canadian ministers as having played a key role in shifting their Government’s position on cannabis regulation.

As Anyone’s Child grows, so does the pressure on those with the power to change. If you would like to join the campaign, find out more here.