HIT

Wonderful news that will save lives!

Approval granted for Ireland’s first supervised drug injection facility to become permanent The centre officially opened in December 2024 after it secured a temporary 18-month planning permission.

It's time to announce our next HIT Hot Topics Speaker, Kojo Koram! If you've never had the chance to hear him speak you've really been missing out. Find his bio and book your place over on the conference website today! https://2026.hit.org.uk/speaker/kojo-koram/

We are so happy to be able to announce the first of our speakers, Sarah Whipple!

Sarah Whipple is the Community Engagement Co-Director at Yuba Harm Reduction Collective, a worker-led syringe service program serving a county in rural Northern California. She is also a community organiser for the Sacramento S*x Workers Outreach Project, a Steering Committee Member of the California Syringe Exchange Programs Network, and a Board Member for the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness. In 2024, Sarah received the Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award from the International Network of People Who Use Drugs and the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users.

https://2026.hit.org.uk/speaker/sarah-whipple/

Our friends at Metzineres are at risk of losing their building, please help by signing their petition and in any other ways you have

Wonderful news from HRI

We are thrilled to announce that Catherine Cook has been appointed as the Executive Director of Harm Reduction International (HRI)!

Having served as interim ED since April 2025, Catherine brings nearly two decades of expertise to the role. From conceptualising our flagship project, the Global State of Harm Reduction, to holding governments accountable for their spending, her leadership is exactly what our movement needs during these challenging times.

Catherine Cook said of her appointment: “It is an honour and a privilege to lead Harm Reduction International and its exceptional team at such a pivotal and politically challenging moment. With services closures, funding declines and civic space shrinking under resurgent punitive drug policies, HRI’s role in holding governments and donors to account is more vital than ever. I am committed to ensuring that HRI continues to support a strong harm reduction movement through our advocacy, by convening diverse partners and generating the evidence needed to challenge punitive systems and advance health, dignity and justice.”

https://hri.global/news/catherinecook-executive-director/

Fear of arrest drives people away from health services. It pushes drug use into unsafe environments. It increases risks like needle sharing and rushed injection.

These are not inevitable outcomes of drug use. They are outcomes of punitive policy choices.

That was Anton Basenko, INPUD Executive Director, speaking today at CND69 at the launch of the new Decriminalisation Guidance Note on Drug Use in the Context of HIV. A landmark document built with communities, for communities.

We are so happy to be part of this work, a new way of supporting practitioners, local leaders and decision-makers to understand the challenges of working with Ketamine use

Coact is happy to launch a new event in partnership with HIT Ketamine - Living in dreams, coping with realities. One-day area learning and development events Amy Massey Coact’s Ketamine Peer Trainer and Mat Southwell have worked with peer pioneers from Generation K and other experts to gather learning on ketamine.

Ketamine is a complex drug. It is a promising treatment for depression, trauma and alcohol dependence and some members of ‘Generation K’ are trapped in a complex dependence syndrome and facing life-altering bladder damage.

The course supports practitioners, local leaders and decision-makers to gather technical knowledge, hear testimonies from Generation K, and explore these issues through evolving case studies . Participants will learn specialist harm reduction advice . They will strengthen practice skills and learn strategies that support positive change with ketamine. The event will conclude with partners discussing how to strengthen their local system and response.

Follow live link in the comments below to find out more on the Hit website.



New video.
Watch here: [https://youtube.com/shorts/HVNG7_BPccY?feature=share]

Drug-related executions now account for nearly half of all confirmed executions worldwide.

The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025 - Harm Reduction International Drug-related executions surged by 97% in 2025. Explore the global trends, country-specific data, and the disproportionate impact of punitive drug control on vulnerable populations.

Great news and a good move forward

The Loop launches London's first drug checking service — The Loop The Loop Drug Checking Service, the charity which introduced drug checking in the UK, has launched London’s very first drug checking services. The Loop has brought its pioneering harm reduction service to Hackney and Camden, combining personalised health advice with rapid chemical analysis of subs...