Bristol Greens motion to declare Bristol a ‘City of Harm Reduction

Bristol Green Councillors are set to move a motion at Full Council on Tuesday to formally declare Bristol as a ‘city of harm reduction’. 

The motion outlines measures to ensure that Bristol’s response when it comes to drug usage focuses on support rather than punishment.

Cllr Cara Lavan, who will table the motion, said, “As someone who lost their partner to drug overdose poisoning, I have campaigned for years for sensible, evidence-led drug policies.

“I am bringing this motion because in 2024, seven people died in Bristol and the surrounding area every month from drug overdoses, and nationally this is on the rise.

“Through years of campaigning and research, I know that a compassionate approach has been proven to save lives and improve health outcomes far more effectively than criminalisation.”

The motion points to the fact that the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has failed to reduce drug consumption, and that deaths from drug poisoning are at an all-time high and are almost twice the national rate in Bristol.

In the face of this national failure, local authorities across the country have increasingly adopted a public health approach to drug use known as ‘harm reduction’ – to save lives.

In Bristol, this has included needle exchange services, opiate substitution therapy in GP surgeries, a regular, city-centre drug checking service, and a co-ordinated city-wide approach to reducing drug related harm.

Now the Greens hope to take this further by advocating to national Government for permission to establish supervised drug consumption facilities, which have been shown to reduce deaths from drug overdoses in Glasgow and across the world.

Cllr Abdul Malik, who will second the motion, said, “As a mosque leader, my faith is very clear that intoxicants are harmful and should be avoided. Nothing in this motion changes that. This is not about encouraging drug use or normalising addiction.

“It is about recognising a simple truth: after fifty-five years, we cannot honestly say prohibition on its own has solved this problem and we have a responsibility to look at what the evidence tells us does work.

“Evidence shows that harm reduction can reduce overdoses, encourage recovery, reduce reoffending and save lives. As a Muslim, I believe one of the highest objectives of our faith is the preservation of life. Every life has dignity and value, and every person deserves the opportunity to recover.

“If this motion helps one more person into treatment, prevents one more overdose, reduces crime on our streets and spares one more family from unimaginable loss, then it is worth doing.”

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