Policy Responses

Release’s submission to EMLER: Systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in the enforcement of drug laws and policies.

In April 2026 Release responded to the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the context of Law Enforcement’s (EMLER) Call for Inputs: Systemic racism…

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Submission to OHCHR Report on Human Rights and Drug Policy

Release responded to the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights call for inputs on Human Rights and Drug Policy (A/HRC/RES/60/26): Human rights challenges in…

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Response to Consultation on Expanding access to naloxone: supply and emergency use

Release responded to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Consultation on Expanding access to Naloxone. We are broadly supportive of any proposals which aid the adoption of the lowest…

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Submission to ACMD’s call for evidence on ketamine’s harms

In our submission to the ACMD on ketamine’s harms, we highlighted the following points: General information Reasons for illicit use of ketamine include recreational enjoyment, pain…

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Submission to the Crime and Policing Bill

Our submission sought to oppose some of the measures within the proposed Bill, arguing that they would increase social harms, criminalise vulnerable communities, and are ineffective…

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Response to Consultation on Pathways to Work Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper

In this consultation response, we expressed some of our concerns with the Green Paper's framing and proposed reforms. Chilling Effect and Negative Impact: The proposed reforms…

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Submission to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Our joint submission with Harm Reduction International (HRI), the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) and Radical Acts to Survive (RATS) addresses the critical issue of drug-related…

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INQUEST, DPSC and Release submission to the Justice Committee’s inquiry on Drugs in Prison

Our joint submission with INQUEST and DPSC to the Justice Committee’s inquiry on drugs in prison presents a comprehensive analysis of drug-related harms and deaths within the…

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Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Release authored a joint shadow report alongside Amnesty, IDPC, HRI and Unjust UK to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Disparities (CERD) who are…

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Response to the Consultation to expand access to take-home naloxone supplies

Release contributed to the Government’s consultation on expanding access to take-home naloxone. As a tried-and-tested medicine in reversing overdoses, its recognition as a pharmacy medicine (rather than…

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Submission to Joint Committee on Human Rights on Drug Testing on Arrest

Release has submitted evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights in relation to the Criminal Justice Bill 2023. The Bill, if passed, will amend several…

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Submission to Public Accounts Committee on Reducing the Harms from Illegal Drugs

Release partnered with Unjust UK to submit evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s Inquiry into government’s progress implementing its 10-year drug strategy, which was published in…

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Response to Ministry of Justice Consultation on Diversionary and Community Cautions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022

Release has responded to the Ministry Of Justice’s Consultation: Diversionary and Community Cautions, Draft Code of Practice, Part 6 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts…

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Joint submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

This submission was put together by the International Drug Policy Consortium, Amnesty International, the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, the…

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Submission to OHCHR on a UK perspective to address human rights challenges in “the world drug situation”

This submission addresses the racially discriminatory application of drug law enforcement in the UK, the rights abuses that occur to those seeking drug treatment and highlights…

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Joint submission with Liberty on Government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Plan

We've submitted a consultation response on the Government's Anti-Social Behaviour Plan jointly with Liberty due to the potential implications that the plan may have on our civil…

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Submission to ACMD call for evidence on health and social harms of nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

Release provided a response to the ACMD's call for written evidence about the health and social harms of nitrous oxide.  On our national helpline on issues around…

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Submission to the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on systemic, structural, and institutional racism

This is Release's submission to the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee to assist in their examination of patterns, policies and processes contributing to incidents of racial…

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Input for the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD)

Release is pleased to share this submission with the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD) to assist in their examination of…

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Response to the UK government’s White Paper ‘Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession’

In summary, Release is fundamentally opposed to the proposals contained in the White Paper. The Government is guilty of ignoring the evidence of how we can…

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Release’s response to the Prisons Strategy White Paper Consultation

This document was submitted in response to the Prisons Strategy White Paper Consultation on 4th February, 2022. Release’s response specifically addressed the following Prisons Strategy proposals: The…

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Response to the Vagrancy Act Consultation, 2022

Release welcomes the opportunity to consult on the proposals being put forward by the Government, and whilst we welcome the repeal of the Vagrancy Act, we…

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Submission to the Home Affairs Committee’s Drugs Inquiry

Release's written submission to the Home Affairs Committee's Inquiry on Drugs in March, 2022. This evidence was accepted by the Committee and published by UK Parliament.…

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Briefing Paper for the Parliamentary debate on ‘Tackling drug crime in local communities’

Release's MP Briefing Paper for the Parliamentary debate on 'Tackling drug crime in local communities' – 20th April, 2022 (Westminster). This briefing discusses how to effectively tackle…

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Release and Harm Reduction International’s 2022 submission to the OHCHR

Release and Harm Reduction International's April 2022 submission to the OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) on the “Promotion and protection of…

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Release’s Response to Mayor of London’s Police and Crime Plan

This document was submitted to the Mayor of London's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) in response to their January 2022 consultation on the proposed Police and Crime…

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Response to Right to Recovery Bill Consultation

Release has partnered with Cranstoun, Transform and EuroNPUD in their response to the Scottish Conservative's December 2021 consultation on the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill which is being…

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Release’s submission to the Scottish Parliament Criminal Justice Committee

This written report was submitted to the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee in response to their October 2021 call for evidence regarding tackling the criminal justice…

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Release and Harm Reduction International’s response to DHSC’s Naloxone Consultation

Release and Harm Reduction International’s written submission to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)'s September 2021 Consultation on expanding access to naloxone. The submission is…

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Briefing Paper for the upcoming debate on the ‘Misuse of Drugs Act’ – 17th June

Release's briefing paper for the Parliamentary debate on the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) - 17th June, 2021 (House of Commons). The briefing paper addresses: 50…

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Release and Harm Reduction International’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

This report was submitted to the Runnymede Trust in response to their March 2021 call for evidence regarding the Government’s implementation of the UN Convention on…

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Written Submission to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities on Ethnic disparities and inequality in the UK

Release's written submission to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities call for evidence on ethnic disparities and inequality in the UK - issued in October 2020.  The government asked…

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Release and Harm Reduction International’s submission to the OHCHR

Release and Harm Reduction International's submission to the OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) call for input on the “promotion and protection…

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Release and Transform’s Submission to the DCMS Select Committee Inquiry

Release and Transform's Submission to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee Inquiry on Impact of Covid-19 on the Charity Sector. Transform Release DCMS committee COVID…

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Written Submission to Dame Carol Black review

Release’s Submission to Phase Two of the Black Review. Black Review Phase 2Download

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