Drugs Uncut: Recent Episodes
Scottish Drugs Forum
Drugs Uncut - A space for informal yet informed conversation on drug-related issues in Scotland brought to you by Scottish Drugs Forum
The latest issue of Buzz - the only magazine created by and for people who use substances - is out now. In this episode of Drugs Uncut podcast, Kirsten and Jason are joined by Lorraine from the Buzz peer editorial board and Whitney, a drug and alcohol support worker at Murray's Initiative. They dive into Buzz's lead story - substance use within the LGBTQ+ community. Recorded during Pride month, this is a conversation about why real representation matters, what it takes to build spaces where people feel heard, and how sharing personal stories can break down stigma and inspire real 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.
In this episode, Kirsten and Jason are joined by Carolyn Lochhead, CEO of Alcohol Focus Scotland.
They explore the charity’s ambitions under Carolyn’s leadership, the complexities of Scotland’s relationship with alcohol and the ongoing debate around how alcohol is regulated and perceived in public life.
The conversation also tackles some of the biggest policy questions facing Scotland today, including the integration of drugs and alcohol strategy, gaps in current support systems and what meaningful change could look like over the next few years.
In this episode of Drugs Uncut, Kirsten and Jason are joined by Director of Scotland at WithYou, Louise Stewart, to explore the priorities each charity has set for the next government ahead of the upcoming election.
Through a “manifesto exchange”, they discuss the key issues facing Scotland’s drug and alcohol sector, highlight areas of shared focus and reflect on how organisations are working to influence policy and drive meaningful change.
Read WithYou’s priorities and our manifesto.
For the latest episode of Drugs Uncut, Kirsten and Jason were joined by our former CEO and Founder of Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF), Dave Liddell, who shared insights from our organisation's beginnings and reflected on his time our charity.
Following on from the recent 'Evaluation of Exploring Long-Acting Injectable Buprenorphine Provision Across Scotland', Louise Horn (Peer Research Development Officer, SDF) and Jacqui (Peer Researcher, SDF) join Kirsten Horsburgh, CEO of Scottish Drugs Forum, and Jason Wallace, Programme Manager for Lived and Living Experience, to discuss the research behind the report.
They explore the peer research process, key findings and recommendations, alongside the real experiences of those accessing the treatment in Scotland.
You can read the full report here: https://sdf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Evaluation-of-Exploring-Long-Acting-Injectable-Buprenorphine-Provision-Across-Scotland-August-2025.pdf
And the Executive Summary here: https://sdf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Evaluation-of-Exploring-Long-Acting-Injectable-Buprenorphine-Provision-Across-Scotland-SDF-August-2025-Executive-Summary.pdf
In the latest episode, Kirsten Horsburgh, CEO of SDF, and Jason Wallace, Lived and Living Experience Programme Manager at SDF, sit down with Nikki and John from the Buzz Magazine Peer Editorial Board for a behind-the-scenes look at how the magazine is made. They talk about the progress Buzz has achieved so far, what being part of the editorial board means to them, and how they develop the stories that shape each issue. An insightful conversation about creativity, voice, and the power of peer-led media.
You can read issue #2 at www.buzz.scot
In this episode, SDF CEO Kirsten Horsburgh is joined by her new co-host Jason Wallace, Programme Manager for Lived and Living Experience at SDF, alongside Hannah Westwater, Editor & Content Creator and Billy McKay, Peer Community Engagement Officer for Buzz. They discuss the launch of ‘Buzz’ - a bold, peer-led magazine created, developed and led by an Editorial Board, all of whom are people with living experience of drug use in Scotland.
The team explore how the magazine was produced, how the Peer Editorial Board create the content, and how Buzz amplifies the authentic voices from the community. They also share plans for future issues and the vision for the magazine as a tool for connection, conversation, and challenging stigma across Scotland.
You can read the first issue of Buzz on their website at www.buzz.scot
After nearly two decades at Scottish Drugs Forum, Austin Smith, our Head of Policy, Practice and Communications, has retired - leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of influence, leadership and change. To mark this significant milestone, Austin joined our CEO for a special episode of SDF’s Drugs Uncut podcast to reflect on his time in post - from how the landscape has changed, to what still needs to happen, and what has kept him going through it all. It’s a conversation full of insight and honesty
What is happening in Glasgow will be crucial in the development of harm reduction services across the UK in the next decade. Dr Saket Priyadarshi, clinical lead of Glasgow's treatment services and Gillian Ferguson co-ordinator of Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership - the local commissioning and co-ordinating body - discuss the background to delivering the UK's first drug consumption room - the issues it will address; how it has been designed and delivered and how its impacts will be evaluated.
Sheila Vakharia of the Drug Policy Alliance, author of The Harm Reduction Gap, discusses the development and aims of harm reduction, and hope as a practice.
In this episode of Drugs Uncut, SDF’s Wez Steele is joined by Mat Southwell, Project Co-ordinator at EuroNPUD.
Mat and Wez discuss the key role peers have in the development of policy and practice as well as the effective delivery of services. They also discuss the uniquely British division between harm reduction advocacy and recovery when the community’s diverse experiences and perspectives are most impactful when peers work together.
Mat provides international and UK examples of good practice in involving and compensating peers, and describes the good practice guide to employing people who use drugs which he created for The International HIV/AIDS Alliance in 2015.
Finally, Mat and Wez discuss Mat’s involvement in research and the distribution of crack pipes in England, how peers are involved and what Scotland can learn.
In this episode Julie and Austin are joined by Adrienne Hannah as she reflects on her career as she retires from SDF. Over 11.5 years with SDF, Adrienne's work has focused on educating drug services about sexual health and educating sexual health services about drug use. Alongside highlighting this work she shares her insight into current issues related to the HIV outbreak, children and young people, and gender and sexuality.
Arild Knutsen is Leader of The Association for Humane Drug Policy in Norway. Arild recently visited Scotland and presented on the role of people who use drugs in helping develop drug policy in Norway at SDF’s International Overdose Day conference. In this episode, Arild joins SDF colleagues, Jason Wallace, Louise Aitken, and Wez Steele to talk about the representation of living and lived experience voices in policy and service delivery and the effects of stigma from various levels of society.
This episode is part 2 of two part conversation with Arild, to listen to part 1 visit https://drugsuncut.podbean.com/e/changing-attitudes-and-policy-through-living-experience-representation-with-arild-knutsen/
Arild Knutsen is Leader of The Association for Humane Drug Policy, a drug user organisation in Norway.
Arild recently visited Scotland and presented at SDF’s International Overdose Day conference. In this episode, Arild joins SDF colleagues, Jason Wallace, Louise Aitken, and Wez Steele to talk about the influence of living experience; the importance of living experience representation in the media, policy and government; how this involvement plays out in reality and harm reduction initiatives, drug consumption rooms and overdose prevention in each country.
Ryan Marino, MD works in emergency room medicine in Ohio where he encounters the people victimised by America’s opioid overdose crisis. Meanwhile, he fights the myths and ignorance that hinder efforts to address that crisis and specifically synthetic opioids like fentanyl via his social media activity for which he has an audience of 100 000 followers. Drugs Uncut asked Ryan to share his experience and insight and considers the lessons for the UK where synthetic opioids are being discovered within our heroin supply.
Drugs Uncut is back! In this episode we are joined by Scottish Drugs Forum’s Louise Aitken and Chris Messenger and discuss employment and training and the Addiction Worker Training Project.
The project has recently seen changes and has received its first funding from The Scottish Government in response to the recommendations of The Drug Deaths Task Force which will double its capacity.
In this episode we are joined by Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable for Partnership, Prevention and Community Wellbeing, Gary Ritchie to discuss Police Scotland's pilot test of change project which sees officers carrying intranasal naloxone.
ACC Gary Ritchie helped lead the organisation to participate in Scotland's National Naloxone Programme and in this episode he recounts some of the landmarks and some of the issues that arose in ensuring that police in Scotland could trial the carriage of naloxone. He talks of a public health approach to policing which is part of, and symptomatic of, significant attitudinal and societal changes in Scotland.
Dr Roy Robertson has worked as a GP in Edinburgh since 1980, where he was at the forefront of identifying and taking steps to address the emerging dual public health crises of HIV and injecting heroin use. He is also Professor of Addiction Medicine in the University of Edinburgh Usher Institute.
Throughout his career, Roy has consistently had to challenge the status quo to support the vulnerable people in his care, whilst simultaneously informing the rest of the world through a range of research and policy work.
In this episode, Roy discusses what it was like in the early days of the HIV epidemic in Edinburgh in the 1980s, reflects on his years of practice, and provides insight into the potential solutions to addressing Scotland’s on-going public health emergency - drug overdose deaths.
This episode was recorded especially for World AIDS Day and before the tragic drug-related death figures for Scotland in 2019 were announced on the 15th of December 2020.
Dr Andrew McAuley is currently Senior Epidemiologist within the Blood Borne Virus and Sexually Transmitted Infections team at NHS Public Health Scotland where he has a lead role for projects involving people who inject drugs.
In this episode, Andrew talks to us about his research relating to HIV, naloxone, the Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI) and more, including why Glasgow has the most compelling case in Europe for a Drug Consumption Room.
As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, street homelessness in Scotland was almost eradicated overnight through the use of hotels to accommodate people who have been rough sleeping. In this episode, we are joined by Hugh Hill, Director of Services and Development at The Simon Community Scotland - who have been instrumental in providing support to those temporary accommodated - to discuss the lockdown and the unexpected benefits for some people living on the Scotland’s streets; how services have struggled and improved; and what happens when lockdown eases.
Mental Health Awareness Week is held every year in May to highlight issues relating to mental health and wellbeing - things that are particularly pertinent during the current COVID-19 lockdown.
This year, the theme is kindness. Being kind to others can go a long way, but being kind to yourself is just as important.
In this bonus podcast episode, we are joined by Katy MacLeod, SDF's National Training and Development Officer to discuss burnout - including how to recognise it and what steps can be taken to address it.
The COVID-19 lockdown has led to harm reduction services having to adapt to find ways of maintaining provision and support to people who rely on them.
In this episode, the second looking at responses to the outbreak, we are joined by Sophie Given, Scottish Drugs Forum's Officer for Harm Reduction and Emergency Responses, to find out how the lockdown is impacting on people's access to harm reduction services, such as sterile injecting equipment, and how services are adapting through innovation and collaboration.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought much of the world to a halt, but people continue to need vital support with their substance use.
In this episode, the first of a series looking at responses to the outbreak, we are joined by Scottish Drugs Forum's CEO, David Liddell, to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting both people who use drugs and treatment and harm reduction services in Scotland; and the guidance available to those planning and delivering services at this time.
There is an expectation that services and planners include people in decisions that directly affect their lives. So why does this rarely happen when decisions are being made that affect people who are experiencing drug problems?
This is now one of the most pressing questions facing the drugs field in Scotland and beyond.
In this episode Jason Wallace, SDF's Senior Development Officer for Volunteering and Engagement, joins us to discuss what the perceived barriers to engaging with people are and how they can be overcome.
Jason describes a pioneering initiative in Glasgow that provides a safe space for people who use drugs to discuss issues, raise these with service providers and others and to hold people to account.
We were also delighted to chat with a member of the group, Martin, and also SDF Peer Research Volunteer, Matthew, to discuss what opportunities like the above initiative means to the people attending.
The new 'Enhanced Drug Treatment Service' in Glasgow has opened it's doors and offers Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) - the prescribing and distribution of injectable diamorphine - as one of it's main provisions.
In this episode, we talk about the merits of the new service and hear from two key individuals in the delivery of HAT in England and Scotland.
We speak to Danny Ahmed of Foundations Teeside and Dr Carole Hunter of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to find out about how the services operate, what challenges have been overcome and how the services will aim to make a difference in people's lives.
In this episode we discuss the Scottish Government's 'Drug Deaths Taskforce' that has been convened in response to the worsening drug overdose crisis that is currently enveloping Scotland.
We hear from Professor Catriona Matheson, Chair of the Taskforce, about how the first two meetings have gone and what the group hopes to achieve.
Also, Kirsten Horsburgh, lead of the Scottish National Naloxone Programme and SDF podcast host, takes us through some of the recommendations she has made to the group in regards to Scotland's naloxone provision.
In this episode we sit down with Garth Mullins, an award-winning radio documentarian, 'Crackdown' podcast host and drug user activist from Canada.
Garth spoke at our 'Connections During Crisis' conference where he talked about his experience of living with a methadone prescription, the current opioid crisis and the need for drug consumption rooms.