Latest Drug Information
Introduction to Latest Drug Information
This page includes important information about:
- The FRANK Service – The place to go for free practical drug advice for adults and children
- Harm Reduction – ways to reduce the harm that using drugs can cause
- Naloxone – a lifesaving antidote to an opioid overdose and where this can be accessed in Derbyshire
- The Local Drug Information System (LDIS) – our local system set up to:
- Report concerns around drugsreceive information about concerning substancesassess and grade risks
- Issue alerts to people who use drugs and the organisations who may encounter them.
- How to receive drug alerts from LDIS by joining The Professional Information Network (PIN)
The FRANK Service
The FRANK service aims to give young people the skills and confidence needed to reject drugs and offer parents the information they need to bring up the topic with their children. The FRANK service is free and operated by fully trained advisers.
Harm Reduction Advice
There is no risk free drug use
There is no such thing as risk free drug use, all drugs carry risk and every time a drug is used harm can happen, so if you want to stay as safe as possible it’s best not to use drugs / substances at all.
What can a person do to reduce the risk of drug use?
Sadly, there has been an increase in the number of people that have died after using drugs. If you are planning to use drugs / substances, there are things you should know and can do to reduce the risks.
Seek help and advice from specialist substance use services
If you use drugs often, there is a benefit from seeking help and advice from specialist substance use services, who can provide you advice and support that fits your unique situation to help you to stay as healthy as possible.
Be careful as what you think could be in a substance may not be what is actually in it
Evidence shows that it can be impossible to know what is in a substance. Something obtained as one thing may contain something very different and can carry a very high risk. For example, life threatening opioids, such as nitazenes, have been detected in substances that were branded as heroin, cocaine, tablets, and even vapes and herbal cannabis.
Avoid mixing substances
The risks are increased when drugs are mixed, this can include mixing different drugs or mixing drugs with alcohol or medicines.
If you do plan to use, try a smaller amount first to test the effects. You can’t tell how strong something is by what it looks like. The saying “start low and go slow” can be a life saver.
Dont use drugs on your own
Most of the people that have died from drug use, are people that used drugs alone, this is because there was no one to help or call for help if things went wrong. If you plan to use drugs, don’t use drugs on your own.
Use Derbyshire’s Needle Exchange sites to access clean injecting equipment
If you plan to inject drugs, you should make sure you have the right injecting equipment. This can be obtained from our specialist substance use treatment provider DRP and from many Community Pharmacies across Derbyshire. These Needle Exchanges provide sterile injecting equipment, advice to reduce injecting related harms, and offer safe disposal of used equipment.
What to do if someone overdoses
If someone you are with goes over, don’t leave them. Call 999 and stay with them until the ambulance arrives.
Don’t all use drugs at the same time – so someone is well enough to provide and get help, if someone you are with goes over, don’t leave them. Call 999 and stay with them until the ambulance arrives.
Naloxone
What is Naloxone?
Naloxone is a lifesaving antidote to an opioid overdose.
How does it work?
Opioids are a broad range of substances that includes medicined such as codeine, tramadol or morphine; and also includes drugs such as heroin and some of the new substances that have been found as contaminants in other substances such as fentanyl and Nitazenes.
Naloxone works by temporarily reversing the effects of opioids to buy time whilst emergency service help arrives.
How widely used is Naloxone?
Naloxone has widely used since the 1970s by emergency services such as hospitals and ambulance and there are efforts to distribute Naloxone kits to people in Derbyshire who may come across someones who could have an opioid overdose.
Can I carry Naloxone in case I witness an opioid overdose?
Yes, if you feel you could witness an overdose, whilst at work, amongst your family or friends, or elsewhere in your community, you should consider carrying Naloxone and getting training in how to use it. If you suspect someone has overdosed, it’s always best to administer naloxone. If someone hasn’t overdosed on opioids, naloxone won’t harm them.
Naloxone is available from Derbyshire Recovery Partnership, from some Community Pharmacies across Derbyshire and may also be provided by other healthcare services.
I want to find out more about Naloxone
If you want to know more about naloxone there are lots of resources online, such as Naloxone Saves Lives.
Local Drug Information System (LDIS)
Do we ever really know what is in an illicit substance? Whether it’s a fake tablet, white powder or dodgy vape, unregulated products can vary by strength and substance. Taking any illicit drug can be risky but when it turns out to be something different to what was expected there can be devastating consequences. People can become ill, hospitalised, and even die.
The Local Drug Information System (LDIS) is a non-urgent reporting system providing a way to raise concerns about drugs so that action can be taken to keep people safe. The system aims to provide a way to:
- Receive and review information about concerns around drugs / substances and assess potential risks
- Receive information about concerning substances
- Assess and grade risks
- Issue alerts to people who use drugs and the organisations who may encounter them.
What do I do if someone is in immediate danger?
If someone is in immediate danger or requires immediate support call 999.
What to report?
LDIS encourage you to report information about potentially dangerous, new/novel, potent, adulterated, or contaminated substances, that may be a risk to other people. Reporting is easy and can be done via the online Local Drug Information System notification form.
The LDIS reporting form is easy to complete, don’t worry if you don’t have all the information and don’t worry if you think it has already been reported, it is better for something to be reported twice than not at all. You will be asked things such as:
- How many people were affected by the substance?
- What level of harm occurred? E.g. did the person need to go to hospital
- Which part of Derby / Derbyshire the substance was used.
- How was the substance used and what other substances may have been used at the same time.
- Was there anything different about the substance – such as where it was obtained from, its physical appearance, or the affect it had when used.
What do I do if an actual substance is obtained?
Handle with caution and store securely as per your organisation’s policy and notify your manager. The police, drugsupport@derbyshire.police.uk, and LDIS should be informed.
What happens to the information I provide?
The Derby and Derbyshire Drug Alert Group is our Local Drug Information System it has been set up to receive information about concerning substances, assess and grade risks, and, if needed, issue alerts to people who use drugs, and the organisations who may encounter them.
LDIS has a panel of local health, education, and law enforcement specialists will review information and, only when harm can be reduced, will they issue an alert. The alert will include the Derby and Derbyshire Drug Alert Group logo, giving reassurance that this information is relevant to the current local situation.
What if I receive an alert that doesn’t come from our local LDIS?
You may receive alerts that do not originate with our LDIS, although sharing warnings about drugs can feel like a good thing to do, experience shows that these messages can cause problems and can even advertise the substances they seek to warn about. It is strongly advised therefore that only alerts that come from LDIS are shared.
If you receive a drug alert that does not originate from the Derby and Derbyshire Drug Alert Group, you should not share it any further. You should email it to drugsupport@derbyshire.police.uk for review by the panel.
Drug Alerts from LDIS
Drug Alerts are issued by the Derby and Derbyshire Drug Alert Group who aim to receive, assess, and share relevant information quickly, consistently, and efficiently. The Group aims to provide accurate information and harm reduction advice to reduce drug related harms and death.
Local organisations and professionals can join the Professional Information Network to receive local drug alerts directly by emailing Derbyshire.DARD@derbyshire.gov.uk for Derbyshire, or publichealth@derby.gov.uk for Derby City, providing the names, roles, organisation, and email addresses of those seeking to be included.”