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Our programme of local reform work is vital to reducing drug harms today

Drug Consumption Rooms

Why local reforms?

Here at Transform we believe passionately in the need for an end to the war on drugs. However, while our long-term goal is the replacement of prohibition with a system of legal regulation, we are also committed to supporting innovations within the current system that save lives.

That is why we have committed much of our energy to working with policymakers and practitioners who are engaged in changes on the ground that reduce drug harms.

We work with local health teams, police commissioners, treatment providers, elected representatives and universities to develop innovative approaches and share good practice.

We believe that changes such as these are essential to alleviating the suffering felt by individual, families and communities here and now. We are proud to have worked with passionate, forward-thinking individuals and organisations across the country to help make these reforms a reality.

Transform works locally and regionally to promote innovative approaches to reducing drug harms. These include helping to establish Overdose Prevention Centres; police Drug Offence Diversion Schemes; Diamorphine (Heroin) Assisted Treatment; Drug Safety Checking, and Enhanced Harm Reduction Housing.

Drug
Diversion
Schemes

Criminalising people for minor drug offences does no-one any good. It uses up police resources, reduces the life-chances of those who are caught and does nothing to reduce the scale of the market.

We have worked with police forces across the country to support them in introducing an alternative approach: schemes that replace arrest and criminal charges with diversion into education or support.

Overdose
Prevention
Centres

We support the introduction of Safer Drug Consumption Rooms or Overdose Prevention Centres (OPC) as they are sometimes known (also called supervised injection facilities, enhanced harm reduction centres etc).

Heroin
Assisted
Treatment

Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) involves the provision of medical-grade heroin - also called diamorphine - to registered patients as part of a treatment programme normally for people who have not had success with other treatments.

Drug
Checking

Drug checking services aim to reduce drug related harms by allowing people to get substances of concern tested for content and sometimes also potency - and receive tailored harm reduction advice alongside the test results.

Enhanced Harm Reduction Housing

Enhanced Harm Reduction Housing encourages people planning to use drugs in their hostel rooms to tell staff first, so they can be checked on and treated if they have overdosed. This approach has already saved many lives, and could save many more.