Why I campaigned for a drug consumption room in my back yard with Judy Ryan

In this episode of Drugs Unwrapped, we are joined by Judy Ryan from Melbourne, Australia. Judy was one of the leading campaigners for the establishment of a drug consumption room in her area of residence, in Richmond, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne. Judy discusses why there was a need, including finding people overdosed by her back gate, for a DCR, and what improvements have been noticed since the facility was established in 2018.

Judy highlights how she ran for local council purely based on a manifesto of establishing a DCR, and was astonished to learn of the support for such facilities in Richmond, given that she came so close to winning. This proved to her that people did care about people who use drugs and saw the benefits a DCR would bring to the area. Judy talks about how the DCR has been viewed by other residents, as well as by a local school, and the impact it has had on public amenities.

Judy is currently undertaking a Churchill Fellowship and you find out more about her research and her campaigning work, here.

If you have been affected by the issues discussed in this episode, please visit barod.cymru and confidentially chat to a trained support worker via Barod's Live Webchat Service, that is open 7-days a week, or call Dan 24/7, Wales' national drug and alcohol helpline on 0808 808 2234 or text DAN to 81066.