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Dehumanisation, annihilation and failures of UK drug policy Dr Geoff Page, Department of Social Policy and Social Work
Event details
York Drug Science Society Lecture
In this talk, Dr. Geoff Page will discuss why problematic drug use presents such a ‘wicked problem’ to policy makers in the UK. Over the past two decades, drug policy in the UK has undergone significant shifts, yet the most marginalized users remain largely unaffected. Neither New Labour's focus on methadone programs for heroin users in the criminal justice system nor the Coalition government's push toward abstinence-based treatments approach has effectively addressed the country's most problematic drug usage. With c.300,000 individuals still dependent on heroin and crack cocaine, and crack use dramatically rising among marginalized drug users, it's clear that current policies are falling short.
Dr Geoff Page will draw on 20 years of practice and research experience to assess this issue and explore why treatment solutions appear to be so limited when someone’s daily (or regular) priority is escape and obliteration? Which policy efforts are not hitting the mark? What initiatives might have a bigger impact? And could the solution lie in a complete revolution of our social affairs?
About the speaker
Dr. Geoff Page is a lecturer at the University of York's School for Business and Society. His work focuses on marginalized drug users, including those in the criminal justice system, the seriously mentally ill, and the homeless. Dr. Page’s research explores opioid substitution therapies, the effectiveness of drug treatment services, and how policies—whether focused on harm reduction or abstinence—impact different groups of drug users.
He has led and contributed to key projects, including the National Evaluation of Pilot Drug Recovery Wings, a three-year study exploring a radical shift in Government policy. intended to get prisoners off drugs. In addition, he has worked on studies related to long-term methadone users, policing of cannabis in North Yorkshire and, most recently, a large study exploring the needs of out of treatment crack, heroin and dependent alcohol users.
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