Scottish Drugs Forum

08/06/2026

This Pride Month, take time to learn more about the health inequalities and barriers LGBTQI+ people can face when accessing substance use support 🌈

Our LGBTQI+ e-learning course explores key moments in LGBTQI+ history and how they continue to impact the community today. It provides insight into how alcohol and other drugs are used within LGBTQI+ communities, the layers of stigma people may experience and the barriers many face when accessing services. The course also shares practical ways to help make services more inclusive and accessible.

By the end of the course, you’ll have greater understanding and practical techniques to help create safer, more inclusive support services.

Find out more and access the course here: https://buff.ly/MBJOKiQ

06/06/2026

🚨SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT🚨

We are delighted to announce that AJ Martin will be speaking on Day 2 of our Stop The Deaths conference.

AJ will discuss the connections between autism, drugs and society. Grounded in historical, scientific and experiential knowledge, AJ will explore how drugs are often used as a tool for survival in a neuronormative environment, while inviting us to consider how we can enter meaningful dialogue with neurodivergent communities to reduce drug-related harms.

AJ is a researcher and harm reduction advocate based in London. He is a PhD candidate and Co-Project Lead at the Benzo Research Project, as well as a Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) alumnus. Since entering the harm reduction and drug policy space in 2021, AJ has focused on platforming the voices of young people who take drugs.

He has co-authored a qualitative research report on young people’s benzodiazepine use, presented on topics including nitazenes, student-led harm reduction and autism, and worked with drug services across the UK to improve support and staff training.

📆 26 & 27 August
📍 Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow
🔗 Book now: https://buff.ly/Qwg3iTD

05/06/2026

Our Research and Peer Engagement Programme Manager, Katy MacLeod, was on BBC Radio Scotland this morning discussing the rise in ketamine use.

We've shared a link to listen again in the comments – you can hear Katy from 8:08.

Ellie Wight thought ketamine was a "safe option" - now her bladder can hold only a fraction of the urine that it should.

05/06/2026

As we reach the end of Volunteers Week, here’s a special message from our Director of Operations Julie Heslin-McCartnery. To all our SDF volunteers – please know you make a real difference.

If you’re interested in volunteering with us, visit: https://buff.ly/5hqG0R2

04/06/2026

🎙️ New episode - Poverty, Public Health and Inequality in Scotland: What needs to change?

In this episode Kirsten and Jason are joined by Peter Kelly, CEO of The Poverty Alliance, to explore poverty and inequality in Scotland, and the relationship between poverty, public health and drug use.

They discuss the work of the Poverty Alliance, the role of living and lived experience in shaping policy, and the wider social and economic factors driving exclusion, stigma and poor health outcomes across Scotland. The conversation also looks at what Scotland’s political leaders should prioritise moving forward and the changes needed at both policy and community level.

Listen now: https://buff.ly/UC56wCB

04/06/2026

Buzz magazine is written by – and for – people who use drugs

At the heart of Buzz are the volunteers who write openly, honestly and courageously about their experiences.

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating our Buzz Editorial Board and thanking them for the insight, care and authenticity they bring to everything they do.

03/06/2026

This Volunteers’ Week, we took some of our volunteers to Twechar Outdoor Pursuits to celebrate the work they do with SDF.

It was lovely to get everyone together in nature, spend time as a group and reflect on what they have achieved.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers for the time, energy, voices and experiences they bring to our work.

02/06/2026

Today, we’re highlighting the work of our e-Learning volunteers!

Thanks for all the work you do!

01/06/2026

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating the people who make our peer research and engagement work possible.

From data collection and events to sharing experiences and shaping discussions, this short film reflects on the impact of our volunteers.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, voices and experiences.

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating the people who make our peer research and engagement work possible.From data collection and events to sharing experi...

29/05/2026

🚨SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT🚨

We are delighted to announce that David Walsh will be speaking on Day 1 of our Stop The Deaths conference.

David will provide an overview of health inequalities and their profoundly political influences within Glasgow, Scotland and the wider UK. This will include the long-term historical context, as well as the dramatic and politically driven changes to inequalities seen across the UK over the last 16 years.

David is a Senior Lecturer in Health Inequalities at the University of Glasgow, where he has been in post since February 2024. He has more than 30 years’ experience in health inequalities research, including 17 years at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health prior to taking up his current role.

📆 26 & 27 August
📍 Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow
🔗 Book now: https://buff.ly/Qwg3iTD