Call for ‘life-saving’ drugs consumption room in Bristol

Jake was a loving father, partner, son, friend, artist, writer and nursery nurse who lost his life to drugs.

A film depicting his heart-breaking story was shown at a council meeting in City Hall to support calls for the urgent introduction of a safer drug consumption room and prescribed treatment for heroin addiction in Bristol – measures campaigners say would save lives.

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Cleo Lake, Green councillor for Cotham, says that with drug-related deaths on the increase in the city, there is no time to waste and she is urging mayor Marvin Rees to commit to establishing a safe space that would give users access to clean needles and support.

“Encouraging heroin users off the streets will not only help to save lives, but also improve our communities and save us money,” says Lake.

“The evidence shows that these measures reduce deaths, blood-borne diseases and hospital stays, as well as reducing drug litter and community tension. They also make it more likely that people with drug problems will engage and stay engaged in treatment.”

She put forward a motion at the full council meeting on Tuesday, calling on the mayor to commit to delivering recommendations of a study currently being undertaken by the council’s substance misuse team.

The motion was not debated by councillors due to time constraints.

In response to her question on the matter, Rees said that reducing the harm caused by substance misuse remains a public health priority. He confirmed that the study’s findings will be considered by the city’s Safer Bristol Executive and the Health and Wellbeing Board in September 2018.

Thangam Debbonaire says drug use is currently visible across the city

Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour MP for Bristol West, has already put her weight behind the campaign to decriminalise drugs and supported calls for drugs consumption rooms.

In a speech on the issue in Parliament, she said: “We already have a drug consumption room in Bristol: it is called Bristol.

“It is called the square outside my office, the doorstep into my office and the blocks of council flats at the side of my office. It is called virtually every part of the city centre.

“If we want to give our health service more money, if we want to make our streets safer, and if we want to save the lives of people who have drug addictions, as I do, we need to invest in drug consumption rooms.”

Among the letters of support for Lake’s motion, there was a statement from Bristol resident Cara Levan, whose partner, Jake Coe, featured in the video.

“Being labelled a hopeless druggie helped send Jake further into substance abuse,” she said.

“I believe that if Jake’s drug use could’ve been treated as the medical issue that it was, rather than the criminal issue that it wasn’t, he would still be alive today.”

Campaigners pictured in front of a Jamaica Street mural calling for the decriminalisation of drugs in October 2017. Photo by Cara Lavan

Martin Powell, on behalf of the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, added his support in a statement and cited examples of where the introduction of a safe drugs consumption room have worked to save lives and improve communities.

He called on councillors to back the motion “for the sake of the vulnerable, the communities we live in, and anyone’s child.”

Read more: Bristol West MP calls on prime minister to reform ‘failing’ drugs laws