{"id":45986,"date":"2019-11-04T18:57:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T17:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=45986"},"modified":"2019-11-11T12:42:18","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T11:42:18","slug":"niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/","title":{"rendered":"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"standfirst\">Drug consumption rooms\u00a0can save lives in the UK, says Niamh Eastwood<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The most recent statistics on drug related deaths from across the UK make for grim reading. Once again the UK has recorded the highest rate of drug related deaths\u2014this is the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/birthsdeathsandmarriages\/deaths\/datasets\/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoningenglandandwalesreferencetable\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">seventh annual increase<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> we have witnessed. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrscotland.gov.uk\/statistics-and-data\/statistics\/statistics-by-theme\/vital-events\/deaths\/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scotland<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and parts of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/birthsdeathsandmarriages\/deaths\/bulletins\/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales\/2018registrations\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">England and Wales<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the number of people dying is at unprecedented levels, which has led to some, including myself, to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2019\/aug\/15\/drug-poisoning-deaths-in-england-and-wales-at-highest-level-ever-recorded\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">demand that this is treated as a public health emergency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were nearly 3000 drug misuse deaths in England and Wales in 2018, with nearly three in four of these deaths involving opioids\u2014the situation is worse in Scotland. These are not just statistics, these are human beings who were someone\u2019s mum, dad, daughter, son, sibling\u2014these tragic deaths, many of which are avoidable, are felt deeply by those left behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drug consumption rooms (DCR) also known as Safer Injecting Facilities or Overdose Prevention Sites are one way to reduce the scale of drug related deaths. These facilities vary in what they offer, but at the core of this service is the provision of a sterile space where people inject or smoke their illegally bought substances under medical supervision, and where they are given hygienic equipment to do so. This may sound controversial but there are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hri.global\/files\/2019\/03\/29\/drug-consumption-room-brief-2018.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">over 100 such facilities operating in 11 countries<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> across the world. Drug consumption rooms support, in the main, populations that are incredibly marginalised and that would otherwise be using public spaces\u2014you can\u2019t use drugs in the privacy of your own home if you don\u2019t have access to one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.drugconsumptionroom-international.org\/index.php\/locations\/2015-09-27-13-40-35\/location-switzerland\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DCR was opened in Switzerland in 1986<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and we have decades of evidence demonstrating their effectiveness not only for people using these facilities but also for the wider community. This non-judgmental approach to, in particular, problematic use of drugs has been shown to significantly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11904-017-0363-y\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reduce overdoses incidents and fatalities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.nsw.gov.au\/aod\/resources\/Documents\/msic-kpmg.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">provide routes into treatment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.emcdda.europa.eu\/topics\/pods\/drug-consumption-rooms\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reduce discarded syringes in public spaces<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1360-0443.2009.02837.x\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reduces the burden on emergency services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> including the need for ambulance call outs. But despite overwhelming evidence that DCRs save lives, the UK government has blocked the implementation of DCRs in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44357774\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Home Office repeatedly states that they are unwilling to support<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the establishment of a DCR because, they say, it would break the law, namely provisions in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and in particular the offence of possession of a controlled substance. This position seems particularly disingenuous considering that they have the power to change the law in order to save the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society. The Home Office is also unwilling to support implementation at a local level, a strategy that could act as an interim solution on the road to legislative change, instead reiterating that police officers must enforce the law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But police and prosecutors already manage potential criminal offences under the 1971 Act in relation to other drug treatment interventions. Take, for example, needle exchanges where people can access sterile injecting equipment. The view of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cps.gov.uk\/legal-guidance\/drug-offences\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crown Prosecution Service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is that those accessing such services and those who work in them will \u201cnecessarily commit offences under the Act [1971 Act].\u201d It is clear that many people accessing needle exchange programmes will be in possession of controlled drugs, but the CPS clearly state that the \u201cneed to prevent the spread of serious infections outweighs the normal requirement for prosecution.\u201d It is the public interest arguments based on public health needs which override the need for a prosecution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond CPS guidance, local agreements between police, local authorities, health providers, and drug treatment providers could be established in order to facilitate a DCR. Such an agreement would essentially nullify the risk of prosecution and would have clear agreements on how difficult aspects of the service are managed, for example, the disposal of controlled drugs. Such agreements, often known as \u201ccomfort letters,\u201d have been used to extend the type of equipment that can be dispensed by needle exchanges but that were technically against the law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More recently, we have seen local agreements between police and other local agencies to allow <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rsph.org.uk\/uploads\/assets\/uploaded\/c4b58b1a-431a-4459-ab769978b8e15fcf.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Loop to carry out front of house drug checking<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This brilliant initiative reduces the risks faced by people who use drugs, joining DCRs as a legitimate response to drug use that seeks to reduce the harms of drug consumption rather than punish any and all associated activities. The government has given tacit support to local agreements that allow for drug checking, even though similar offences are engaged to that of a DCR. The only reason they would not extend the same thinking to DCRs is likely because of the profile of those who would use this facility\u2014namely poor, marginalised groups who have little access to support from anywhere else.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The law is not an insurmountable barrier to establishing a DCR, although it would appear the ideological position of the Home Office is. As already discussed, drug related deaths are at an all time high. In Glasgow the drug related deaths are now outstripping the rates in the US and Canada. The city and the Scottish parliament have endorsed the need for a DCR to counter this crisis, the business case has been made, and the funding has been secured. But the Lord Advocate in Scotland will not provide legal protection, instead referring as a reserved matter to Westminster who vetoed the planned DCR in Glasgow. Unfortunately, it appears those with the power to save lives\u2014the UK government\u2014would rather play politics while people continue to die.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/06\/niamh_eastwood.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-44843\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/06\/niamh_eastwood.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/06\/niamh_eastwood.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/06\/niamh_eastwood-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em><strong>Niamh\u00a0Eastwood<\/strong> is executive director at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.release.org.uk\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/www.release.org.uk\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1561014825291000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGiaUCExXQfiq37ELmuOnapJ4F9Jg\">Release<\/a>. Release is the national centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law, providing free and confidential specialist advice and advocates for evidence-based drug policies.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em><strong>Twitter<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/niamhrelease?lang=en\">@niamhrelease<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Competing interests<\/strong>: None declared<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drug consumption rooms\u00a0can save lives in the UK, says Niamh Eastwood [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/\">More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-bloggers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Drug consumption rooms\u00a0can save lives in the UK, says Niamh Eastwood [...]More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-04T17:57:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-11T11:42:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/11\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"BMJ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BMJ\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"BMJ\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe\"},\"headline\":\"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-04T17:57:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-11T11:42:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":972,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guest writers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/\",\"name\":\"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die - The BMJ\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-04T17:57:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-11T11:42:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png\",\"width\":540,\"height\":350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/04\\\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"description\":\"Helping doctors make better decisions.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"width\":852,\"height\":568,\"caption\":\"The BMJ\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bmjdotcom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bmj_latest\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe\",\"name\":\"BMJ\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"BMJ\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die - The BMJ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die - The BMJ","og_description":"Drug consumption rooms\u00a0can save lives in the UK, says Niamh Eastwood [...]More...","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/","og_site_name":"The BMJ","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","article_published_time":"2019-11-04T17:57:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-11-11T11:42:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":540,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/11\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"BMJ","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bmj_latest","twitter_site":"@bmj_latest","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BMJ","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/"},"author":{"name":"BMJ","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe"},"headline":"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die","datePublished":"2019-11-04T17:57:20+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-11T11:42:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/"},"wordCount":972,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/11\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png","articleSection":["Guest writers"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/","name":"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die - The BMJ","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/11\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png","datePublished":"2019-11-04T17:57:20+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-11T11:42:18+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/11\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/11\/safe_drug_consumption_room.png","width":540,"height":350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2019\/11\/04\/niamh-eastwood-drug-related-deaths-playing-politics-while-people-die\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Niamh Eastwood: Drug related deaths\u2014playing politics while people die"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","name":"The BMJ","description":"Helping doctors make better decisions.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization","name":"The BMJ","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","width":852,"height":568,"caption":"The BMJ"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bmj_latest"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe","name":"BMJ","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"BMJ"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}