Scotland has the highest death rates in the world from drugs, I have personally lost a number of close family and friends. Year after year this continues and this has been without synthetic drugs.
Having started the first drug consumption injecting space in the UK from the back of an old transit van and then later an upgraded decommissioned ambulance my job is done in Glasgow so I have to move to the project and city, this I have earmarked as Edinburgh.
Although charged one day for an alleged obstruction of Police the service I ran was never closed down.
I want to fundraise so I can attend the Harm Reduction International conference 2025, as we see synthetic drugs now entering Scotland and the UK of course the worry is super high that deaths are going to increase even more than they already are. The official state run DCR in Glasgow is costing and estimated £2.3M for year one, this is WITHOUT drug testing or inhalation.
The worlds most active campaigners, activists and those who have led civil society and started projects without asking for permits will be at this conference. I want to have an open DCR with drug checking by end of summer 2025, to be at HRI25 will be a massive help in getting there, I will add that I am unemployed so the amount I am asking to raise is for flight, unemployed registration and the cheapest accommodation I can find.
Having got a job with a charity after running the first DCR they wanted me to raise there profile, that job is done now as well and I am now unemployed, so if any money is left over I will put that towards a laptop as I have a very old one which is close to falling apart.
A separate fundraiser will be started for Edinburgh's DCR and Drug Testing Site, I will look for a volunteer to manage this hopefully someone with fundraising and/or accounting skills.
Thank you in advance for your help, as I have a little experience of harm reduction and civil disobedience I think I now understand how to manage the overall project, but being at HRI25 will give me the chance to talk with some of those front and centre in other civil society and disobedience projects.