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Crack pipes
Mick Webb, Stimulant Worker, Drugs and Homeless Initiative (DHI), Swindon

Abstract
With approximately 180,000 crack/cocaine users in the UK (ONS 2007) treatment services and harm reduction agencies are still mainly set up for opiate use. This presentation highlights the need for stimulant specific services to begin to communicate with each other, and look at ways forward in enhancing established services to accommodate our crack using population. The key issue with this is engagement.  Crack pipe distribution, already well established and evaluated in both Canada and France, has proven to increase engagement, reduce risky practice, and shown to be a powerful tool in meeting the needs of what is described as a “hard to reach population”.

Drugs and Homeless Initiative (DHI) was commissioned to provide a stimulant specific service in Swindon. Working in partnership with Swindon Borough Council, Inclusion drug services, SWADS, and DIP, DHI have been able to develop a stimulant service with impressive outcomes regarding engagement, and with service users exiting treatment drug free. DHI have since continued to develop and have implemented a further stimulant specific service based in South Gloucestershire.

The presentation will highlight challenges. The role of the Police, The Crown Prosecutor and the politics surrounding crack pipe distribution, with one of the key stumbling blocks being in the description” Crack pipe”.

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Biography
Mick Webb currently works for the Drugs and Homeless Initiative as a Shared Care Worker with a special interest in stimulant drugs. He has built and developed relationships with stimulant specific services both in UK and abroad. Previously his role was as a Stimulant worker based from DHI in Swindon.

He has been instrumental in building effective service user involvement initiatives in Wiltshire, and was employed by Wiltshire DAAT as User Development worker. He was chair of the Harm Reduction strategic group, and implemented the Harm Reduction Task group, and independent group created to drive Naloxone distribution to service users in Wiltshire.