Tickets released for Derry lecture by leading advisor in fight against drug addiction

The Northlands Addiction Treatment Centre's exciting ‘Knowledge Exchange Series 2023’ will be launched at Ulster University’s Magee Campus, in Derry, on Wednesday 4th January 2023 at 7pm.

The inaugural lecture, "Combating Drug Misuse: A Complex Challenge" will be delivered by one of the UK’s leading experts in the fight against drug addiction, the distinguished physician, academic and independent government advisor, Professor Dame Carol Black.

Dame Carol’s two-part review of drug policy – which was commissioned by the government – led to a new 10-year drug strategy, ‘From Harm to Hope’, which was published on 6 December 2021.

Her lecture for Northlands will provide insight into tackling addiction and will be of interest to those across various sectors, professions and communities battling against addiction.

Tickets are limited and must be booked in advance, online, at Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/481592966527

Northlands’ Head of Treatment, Tommy Canning, said: “Professor Dame Carol Black is a leading physician, a distinguished academic and an influential figure in the fight against addiction.

"Her searching review of drug policy provided a real challenge to policymakers in tackling the scourge of addiction. At Northlands, we are honoured that Dame Carol has agreed to come to Derry to visit our centre and to deliver the inaugural lecture in our ‘Knowledge Exchange Series 2023’ at Magee University.

"It promises to be an evening of thoughtful insight on how, together, we can better tackle the challenge of addiction that plagues our communities.”

Dame Carol said: “Tackling drug dependency is a complex challenging problem, and its solution spans many government departments, local government and institutions that need to work together.

"It requires a whole-system approach. Achieving improvements in treatment requires more professionally-qualified staff, trained support workers, high-quality recovery programmes, and more inpatient detoxification and residential rehabilitation.”