‘We are still obsessed by this idea of abstinence’: A critical analysis of UK news media representations of proposals to introduce drug consumption rooms in Glasgow, UK

Atkinson, Amanda; McAuley, Andrew; Trayner, Kirsten M A; Sumnall, Harry

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.03.010

Cited by 32 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The reason for rejecting the DCR proposal in the UK in 2018 was based on concerns for law enforcement, ethical hesitations of the medical professionals, and media attitudes that has an asymmetric influence on related actors (Atkinson et al, 2019). Without political and institutional support, the issue could lead to trivial policy problems and keep out of public and media attention (Jauffret-Roustide & Cailbault, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complexity of Drug Consumption Room Policy and Progress in Finland

Ünlü

Demiroz

Tammi

et al. 2021

Contemporary Drug Problems

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Drug consumption rooms (DCRs) have been established to reach high-risk people who use drugs (PWUDs) and reduce drug-associated harm. Despite effectiveness, their establishment requires strong advocacy and efforts since moral perspectives tend to prevail over health outcomes in many countries. DCRs have generally emerged as a local response to inadequate central government policy. Likewise, the initiative of the Municipality of Helsinki in 2018 opened up a discussion between central government, society, and local actors in Finland. This would be the first DCR in Finland, which makes the policy process and the progress of the initiative interesting for analysis. In this article, the identification of agents, structures of interactions, environmental challenges, and policy opportunities are analyzed within the framework of complexity theory. Our results show that the initiative faces policy barriers that have mainly arisen from the conceptualization of DCRs in moral frameworks that result in the prolongation of political and professional actors to take a position on DCRs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complexity of Drug Consumption Room Policy and Progress in Finland

Ünlü

Demiroz

Tammi

et al. 2021

Contemporary Drug Problems

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“…In a recent analysis of news-media reporting of the proposals to introduce a DCR in Glasgow, we found that although a majority of articles (67%) positively represented the intervention, they were presented in ways that reflected broader and more complex public discourses about drug use and PWID, national politics, and the purpose and intent of harm reduction and drug treatment, particularly with regards to abstinence (Atkinson, et al, 2019). Research evidence on DCR and targeted harms were framed, contested, and utilised in ways that revealed these underlying motivations, and it was notable that media reporting rarely included the voices of the intended beneficiaries, PWID.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite support from policy actors including local cross-sector partnerships, the Scottish Government, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), Members of the UK Parliament, and sections of national media, DCRs have not received support from the UK government (summarised in Atkinson, McAuley, Trayner, and Sumnall (2019)). Indeed, prior to a national summit on responses to drug-related deaths held in Glasgow in February 2020, the UK Minister with portfolio responsibility for drugs policy described discussion of DCRs as a 'distraction' (BBC, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite operating in around 100 sites across 10 countries, in the UK DCRs are seen by some as a 'controversial' intervention (Atkinson, et al, 2019;Home Office, 2017;Lloyd, Stöver, Zurhold, & Hunt, 2017). Published evidence on their effectiveness is relatively limited (Kennedy, Karamouzian, & Kerr, 2017;Pardo, Caulkins, & Kilmer, 2018), particularly when delivered in the context of other harm reduction interventions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We hypothesised that presentation of a narrative that combined a summary of evidence that DCR could reduce drug-related harms in Scotland with a sympathetic account of how a drug-related death affected a family, would lead to greater support for DCR, compared with a description of the intervention alone. Considering that UK media reports often misrepresented the aims of DCR (Atkinson, et al, 2019), we further hypothesised that the inclusion of information that refuted common misconceptions about DCR would also be associated with higher levels of support.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of messaging on public support for drug consumption rooms in scotland, UK

Sumnall

Atkinson

Trayner

et al. 2020

International Journal of Drug Policy

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BackgroundThere is evidence to suggest that medically supervised drug consumption rooms (DCRs) may form part of responses to reduce drug-related harm. Although DCRs have been established globally, they are perceived by some to be a controversial approach in the UK, and Government has repeatedly rejected proposals to establish one in Glasgow, Scotland. As public support is an important component of policy development and enactment, we sought to investigate the effects of different types of message framing on public support for DCR. MethodsWe undertook a cross-sectional online study with a randomised design, conducted with a nationally representative sample. Participants were randomised to one of six message conditions comprising combinations of four components. All conditions included i) a basic description of a DCR, and conditions included combinations of ii) factual information; iii) preemptive refutation of common public concerns about DCR; and/or iv) a sympathetic narrative describing a mother whose son died from a heroin overdose. After reading each message, participants completed a bespoke measure assessing support for DCR. Data were analysed using ANCOVA. ResultsComplete data were obtained from 1591 participants (50.3% Female; mean age 44.9 ± 16.1 years). Compared to reading a basic description of DCR alone, there was greater support for DCR in participants receiving the refutation (p < .001); sympathetic + factual (p < .05); and sympathetic + factual + refutation (p < .001) message conditions. Presenting factual or sympathetic messages alone were not associated with increased support. ConclusionOur findings suggest that public support for DCRs is not improved through communication of factual statements outlining potential benefits of the intervention alone. Advocates seeking to foster public support, and thus influence policy making, should also consider communication campaigns that address common concerns that the public might have about DCRs, and present the intervention in relation to potential benefits that they hold for people indirectly affected by drug-related harm.

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How has the media framed the introduction of the supervised injecting room in Victoria? A comparison of editorials of The Age and Herald Sun 2017–2022

Mendes,

Taylor,

Roche

2023

Aust J Social Issues

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Influenced by a harm reduction philosophy, the then Victorian Labor Government announced the establishment of the state's first medically supervised injecting room (MSIR) in North Richmond in late 2017. But, public and political opinion remains sharply divided as to the merits of the MSIR. One influence on policy development appears to be media commentary on the MSIR and the wider illicit drugs policy debate. This paper compares the official editorials of the two daily Melbourne newspapers, the Herald Sun and The Age regarding the MSIR, from November 2017 until November 2022. Based on 33 articles (Herald Sun, N = 28; The Age, N = 5), our findings identify philosophical differences between the two newspapers as reflected in their sources of information, language and highlighted issues. The Age was mostly supportive of both the introduction of the North Richmond MSIR and proposals for a second site. The Herald Sun's position was more ambiguous, ranging from qualified support for the North Richmond MSIR to strong opposition to further sites.

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‘We are still obsessed by this idea of abstinence’: A critical analysis of UK news media representations of proposals to introduce drug consumption rooms in Glasgow, UK

Abstract: The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.

Cited by 32 publications

References 42 publications

The Complexity of Drug Consumption Room Policy and Progress in Finland

The Complexity of Drug Consumption Room Policy and Progress in Finland

Effects of messaging on public support for drug consumption rooms in scotland, UK

How has the media framed the introduction of the supervised injecting room in Victoria? A comparison of editorials of The Age and Herald Sun 2017–2022

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