Latest news with #harmreduction
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Peter Krykant obituary
The drugs policy campaigner Peter Krykant, who has died suddenly aged 48, advanced the cause of the harm reduction movement through a transformative act of civil disobedience. Fitting out a van as a mobile safer drug consumption space and making it available to Glasgow's most vulnerable homeless addicts broke the law. And it also – eventually – broke the stalemate around UK drugs policy, propelled Scotland's drug deaths crisis further up the political agenda and, most importantly, saved lives. Krykant's law-breaking plan coalesced in February 2020 after he attended what he saw as another talking shop – a Scottish government conference focused on drug deaths, which took place 24 hours before a UK government summit on the same subject, at the same Glasgow venue. It seemed to him a ludicrous show of escalating tensions between the two administrations. 'The conferences were the final straw, and the fact that [a drug consumption room pilot] is being used as a political football,' he told the Guardian a week later. 'As a person who went through my own trauma – drug use and street homelessness issues many years ago – I cannot stand back.' Within days of announcing his plan to purchase a vehicle and customise it as a mobile safer-injecting suite, Krykant had raised more than £2,000. He was immediately sacked from his job as an HIV outreach worker at the charity Waverley Care. Undeterred by the looming global Covid pandemic, Krykant recognised that, as services contracted, the homeless drug users who congregated around Trongate in Glasgow were even more in need. So he struck out in the midst of lockdown, first in a minibus nicknamed 'the Tank' and later in a converted ambulance, providing clean water, needles and swabs, as well as supplies of naloxone, the potentially life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Rules included using your own drugs, and agreeing to an overdose intervention if needed. Writing in the Guardian, Krykant later explained: 'Overdose prevention services are an internationally recognised way of reducing drug-related harms. It benefits everyone by supporting the most vulnerable and saving taxpayers' money on ambulance callouts, hospital admissions and council clean-up teams.' The local police largely tolerated his activity, although he was charged in October 2020 for obstructing officers attempting to search his van – the charges were later dropped. He continued operating until May 2021. More than 1,000 injections were supervised, and nine overdoses reversed. 'It was the trust people had in Peter, the cup of tea and the Mars bar, that really helped them and is hard to quantify,' said the MSP Paul Sweeney, who became a close friend when the pair volunteered together at the van. 'He proved all the naysayers and the procrastinators wrong. He never said it was a silver bullet but Peter knew firsthand the particular risks for people who inject on the street and saw that this intervention could directly save lives.' Krykant was always insistent that addiction should be understood in the wider context of poverty and inequality, a message he took around the doorsteps of his local Holyrood constituency of Falkirk East when he stood for the Scottish parliament elections in May 2021. A Guardian film, which followed his campaign, captures his younger son, aglow with pride, explaining to the producers: 'I've got three reasons you should vote for my dad: because he's honest, reliable and he listens to people's suggestions.' But the responsibility he evidently carried for every individual he helped, the memories they stirred of his own trauma as well as escalating public scrutiny, took their toll and Krykant relapsed. He had talked openly about darker currents in his childhood in the village of Maddiston, near Falkirk; trauma and sexual abuse that would lead him to start taking drugs when he was 11. He left school with no formal qualifications, and by his late teens he was sleeping rough and injecting heroin. But eventually he found support to live drug-free, and worked successfully in sales for over a decade, first in Brighton, and later returning north of the border, where he subsequently trained as an addiction support worker. During this time he married and started a family, taking market research work to fit around caring for his two young sons. Krykant had continued his advocacy work in recent years, passing the van on to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation and embarking on a tour across the UK. Lately he worked at the harm reduction charity Cranstoun, where he developed an overdose response app called BuddyUp and represented the organisation at events around the world. When the UK's first legal drug consumption room, the Thistle, opened its doors in Glasgow this January, there were many who drew a direct line from his minibus to its airy vestibule. Others felt his contribution had been sidelined to make way for more mainstream voices, or that his vulnerabilities had been exploited by those who desired the frisson of his lived experience for their campaigns. This winter, say friends, Krykant found himself at his lowest ebb. His marriage had collapsed, he had lost his job and he was struggling to support himself, worrying about the impact this had on his sons. Martin Powell, who drove the van on its UK tour, said: 'He was the catalyst and without him we might still be waiting. Without question there are people alive today who would not be without Peter Krykant. It's an absolute tragedy that he isn't one of them.' Krykant is survived by his sons. Peter Krykant, campaigner, born 13 November 1976; died 9 June 2025
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Former harm reduction worker sentenced for being accessory in fatal Leslieville shooting
A former harm reduction worker has been given a conditional sentence of two years less a day after she aided a man connected to the fatal shooting of a woman in Leslieville near a now-closed drug consumption site. Khalila Zara Mohammed, 25, pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2024 to being an accessory after the crime of manslaughter. Mohammed, who originally lied to Toronto police, admitted to helping Ahmed Mustafa Ibrahim following the shooting of Karolina Huebner-Makurat outside the South Riverdale Community Health Centre on Queen Street E. near Carlaw Avenue on July 7, 2023. Huebner-Makurat died in hospital after she was hit by a stray bullet. Police have said that she was struck by the bullet after a group of three men were in an altercation nearby and two of them fired guns at each other. Ontario Court Justice Russell Silverstein read the reasons for his sentence in a Toronto courtroom on Monday, saying it is appropriate for Mohammed to serve her sentence in the community given the circumstances of the case. Silverstein said her sentence is 529 days, after receiving credit for time in custody and under house arrest. The first 300 days of the sentence are to be served under house arrest and the remaining 229 days with a curfew. In addition, she is ordered to perform 100 hours of community service during the sentence. "Ms. Mohammed has no history of violence and has been well-behaved and is on a strong rehabilitative track since the commission of the offence. I find that she presents a very low risk of re-offending, and I am thus satisfied that service of the sentence in the community would not endanger the safety of the community," Silverstein said. According to an agreed statement of facts, Mohammed helped Ibrahim on the day of shooting, helped to treat his wounds, provided new clothes for him, and ordered an Uber for him to get him out of the area. Later, she warned him to "lay low" and "get out of the city." She also started a romantic relationship with him. She was arrested on Aug. 14, 2023. After her arrest and being interviewed by homicide detectives, she provided a statement to police, "essentially denying any knowledge of Ibrahim, contrary to her text messages." "Ms. Mohammed's actions, while they came after the death of Karoline Huebner-Makurat, nonetheless extended the anguish of her husband, children, and other loved ones," Silverstein said. "Her assistance to the principal offender persisted for several weeks and involved many significant steps all clearly intended to shield him from the police, most significantly, lying to the police on more than one occasion." But there are mitigating circumstances, including that she is a "youthful first offender," Silverstein said. "Ms. Mohammed has pleaded guilty and has expressed remorse to the family of the deceased and to the Court. I have no doubt that it is heartfelt and genuine," he said. "Ms. Mohammed is now cooperating in the prosecution of the alleged principal offenders, giving full and frank testimony at their preliminary inquiry." Fatal shooting led to closure of some consumption sites The fatal shooting prompted community outcry and provincial reviews of drug consumption sites, which led to legislation that bans any supervised consumption site within 200 metres of a school or daycare. The consumption site located inside the South Riverdale Community Health Centre, closed ahead of a March 31 deadline to shut its doors, as directed by the Ontario government. Ibrahim was charged with manslaughter and robbery in the case. Another man, Damian Hudson, has been charged with second-degree murder. Toronto police are continuing to seek a third suspect, Ahmed Ali, who is believed to have fled to Somalia.
National Post
3 days ago
- National Post
Chris Selley: No jail time for accessory to a killing? Is anyone OK with this?
Article content Harm-reduction efforts didn't cause this crisis. Many people who might have overdosed alone or without recourse to help have been saved at facilities like South Riverdale. And now that facility is one of many that don't offer supervised-injection services anymore, in no small part because people like Mohammed and the rogue chocolatier lost the plot and practically begged the provincial government to shut them down, which it did earlier this year. So, well done, everyone. Article content Article content Anyway, no word of a lie, Khalila Mohammed won't spend a day behind bars for her astonishing series of decisions on July 7, 2023 — not unless she violates the terms of her so-called 'house arrest,' which allows her to leave home for work, education, to go to the gym, for counselling, for family emergencies, to perform community service … well, OK, it's less 'house arrest' than a 'regular daily routine,' but she's not allowed to be out after 11 p.m. Article content The Crown, to its credit, argued for a proper custodial sentence that somewhat fit the crime: two years behind bars. 'People who have done less have been put in jail. A conditional sentence is not sufficient,' prosecutor Jay Spare told Ontario Court of Justice Judge Russell Silverstein. 'Denunciation and deterrence require actual jail.' Article content This is a crucial point that often seems lost in modern mainstream criminal-justice discussions: The notions of denunciation and deterrence aren't relics of the Dark Ages; they're explicitly stated goals of criminal sentencing. The victim's widower, Adrian Makurat, seems to be an uncommonly forgiving and magnanimous fellow — more than I think I could be, if my minding-her-own-business wife had been cut down by a bullet allegedly fired by a man out on bail. But that could have been anyone's wife or mother walking along Queen Street East that day in July 2023. It could easily have been one of Mohammed's apparently beloved clients at the health centre. This concerns all of society. Article content Criminal justice is usually complicated, and reactionism is often unhelpful, but neither is always the case: This 'sentence' is an abomination. Someone needs to answer for it — and for many other sentences besides — and in this case, it's not Prime Minister Mark Carney or his predecessor Justin Trudeau. Silverstein is a provincial appointment. The maximum sentence available under the law was 14 years in prison. Mohammed got zero, and two hours a day to work out at her local GoodLife Fitness, which — in the absence of any government or judicial action — should perhaps consider cancelling her membership.
Daily Telegraph
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
Australia's first fixed pill testing site is opening in Melbourne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. The lifesaving service is expected to reduce pressure on frontline services. After successful trials at music festivals across the state, Melbourne is getting its first permanent pill testing site. Open Thursdays to Sundays from August in the inner-north suburb of Fitzroy from August, the facility is close to nightlife, public transport, community health and social services. According to the Victoria's Department of Health, about half of Australian adults have used drugs at some point in their lives, and there has been an increase in emergency department admissions relating to use and overdose deaths involving novel synthetic drugs. Run by Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia, and Harm Reduction Victoria, the government said the site will provide a free, lifesaving service. The results of pill testing globally Pill testing has been proven not to encourage people to use drugs, but to provide education and information about what people are actually taking, so they can make safer, more informed decisions. Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said, "No drug is safe, but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices". 65 per cent of service users spoke to a health professional about drug and alcohol safety and harm reduction for the first time. Image: Pexels "Our pill testing trial has already shown young people want the information that could keep them safe and now we'll support even more Victorians with our fixed site service in Fitzroy." During the service's trial period, almost 1400 samples were tested at five different festivals. 65 per cent of service users spoke to a health professional about drug and alcohol safety and harm reduction for the first time, and more than 30 per cent said they would take smaller amounts after these discussions. And in the UK, police and medical services at a festival said pill testing contributed to a 95 per cent decrease in drug-related hospital admissions. Image: iStock At a separate pill testing clinic in Canberra, one in 10 samples were discarded on-site once the service user learned what was in them. One third of people whose sample contained a different or additional drug from what they expected, or where results were inconclusive, said they 'definitely will not use' the illicit drug. And in the UK, police and medical services at a festival said pill testing contributed to a 95 per cent decrease in drug-related hospital admissions. Detection of lethal contaminants. Image: Unsplash Detection of lethal contaminants Despite Australia not experiencing the same level of fentanyl crisis as the US, the Australian Federal Police has made significant seizures of the opioid in the last three years, suggesting it may be cut into recreational drugs. Experts are also concerned about the growing presence of nitazenes in Australian wastewater. Canberra's CANTEST service identified a new variant with a high risk of overdose last year, which is 'one of the most potent drugs of its class ever detected.' The government said these drugs can be detected early and rapidly assessed through testing. The Fitzroy facility is staffed by chemists who analyse samples of substances, while trained harm reduction workers deliver test results and discuss possible risks. Image: Getty While still dangerous, being informed about the contents of their samples can help reduce the risk of overdose for service users. The Fitzroy facility is staffed by chemists who analyse samples of substances, while trained harm reduction workers deliver test results and discuss possible risks, service users' existing health conditions and potential interactions between drugs and prescription medications. In addition to saving lives and reducing drug harm, the service is hoped to decrease pressure on frontline services. Originally published as Australia's first fixed pill testing site is opening in Melbourne
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Permanent pill testing site announced for Fitzroy after successful music festival trials
The Victorian government has announced the location of the state's first permanent pill testing centre. The facility will open in August at 95 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, in Melbourne's inner-north, from Thursdays to Saturdays. It will be run by the same consortium running mobile testing — Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia, and Harm Reduction Victoria. It follows a successful mobile pill testing trial at five Victorian music festivals over summer and is part of a $4 million implementation trial. The government said the Fitzroy location was close to popular nightlife hubs, public transport and health care and social services. It said the facility would allow for the early detection and rapid assessment of new synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and nitazenes, and would provide a free, lifesaving service. The medical support and social services would be provided by Melbourne Health and Youth Projects, while the University of Melbourne's Metabolomics Australia would run secondary testing to confirm the results of the substances. "No drug is safe, but with testing and open, health-focused conversations, we are helping Victorians make more informed and safer choices," Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said. "Our pill testing trial has already shown young people want the information that could keep them safe and now we'll support even more Victorians with our fixed site service in Fitzroy." The music festival testing saw 1,400 samples tested, with MDMA, ketamine and cocaine the main drugs detected. The government said 11 per cent of samples ended up not being what people had expected their drugs to be. It said 65 per cent of mobile testing users reported having their first harm reduction conversation with a health professional and almost a third said they would take a smaller amount as a result. Of those using the service, 91 per cent were aged between 18 to 30 years old. "Our pill testing trial has already shown young people want the information that could keep them safe," Ms Stitt said. She said the permanent facility would allow for the support of more Victorians.
