Karma Koala Podcast 242: Julian Buchanan, Founding member of Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa (New Zealand) Policy Changes On Drugs Can Only Come From A Grassroots Approach | Cannabis Law Report | How to order Skittles Moonrock online

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I’ve been paying a lot more attention to drugs, policy and politics in New Zealand recently as a number of medical cannabis issues have come to the fore over the last month.

The recent arrest of green fairy “Gandalf”, the failure of a couple of medical cannabis outfits amongst a number of recent events brought me to Julian @ Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa New Zealand to have a general chat about prohibition, drug policy and how to effect regulation and legalization.

Thanks again Julian for talking to the Karma Koala podcast

BIO

Born & brought up in a poor but close-knit working class area of Liverpool (Anfield), one of five children. Life become even more of a struggle after my father died when I was 12yrs old. This hardship provided lived experience of poverty and a family struggle for survival.

Disengaged at school, I left aged 17 and started clerical work at Liverpool Social Services. Through employment and day release study my interest in professional and academic study was ignited. After completing my ONC & Cert. in Public Administration I completed the DipSW at Liverpool University and qualified as a social worker. I joined the Merseyside Probation Service and in the mid 1980s I worked at the ‘coalface’ as a drugs worker.

On Merseyside I worked alongside Dr John Marks at the Liverpool Drug Dependency Clinic and helped conceptualise and promote a world leading ‘risk reduction’ approach, I wrote the risk reduction drug policy for the the Merseyside Probation Service (Buchanan & Wyke 1987).

In 1986 I helped establish one of the largest multi-agency Community Drugs Teams in the UK (South Sefton Community Drugs Team). We delivered a full range of low threshold harm reduction services – including prescribing injectable methadone and heroin on a maintenance basis. At the SSCDT we decided not to use drug testing.

In 1996 following 3yrs in a joint appointment with Liverpool University, I took up a post as Senior Lecturer at University of Central Lancashire where I established a Master Degree in Substance Use, before moving to Glyndwr University (Wales), where I established BA & MA in Criminology/Criminal Justice and a suite of modules exploring drugs, drugs and crime and drug policy. With funding secured from the Welsh Assembly I set up the Social Inclusion Research Unit. In 2011 I was appointed Professor.

In 2011 I moved to the Institute of Criminology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand where I was Programme Director for Criminology and set up new drug modules

My research interests draw upon personal experiences of social disadvantage & poverty, alongside professional experiences of working as a probation officer/drugs worker with marginalised people. I am interested in intersectionality, stigma and the interplay between, inequality, crime, problematic drug use and drug policy/practice. I have published widely.

Recognition includes invites to speak in USA; Scandinavia; Australia; Asia; South Africa; UK & New Zealand; to be a specialist assessor for International Journals, as well as an invite to Buckingham Palace and an advisor to the UN on drug policy.