Release: Drugs, The Law & Your Rights

Release's harm reduction hub opening hours

Release's harm reduction hub list of what we offer, including advice, safer sex and drug materials, phone charging, computer use, naloxone

Our March opening hours! ☕💉

Monday-Thursday, 2-5pm
Saturdays, 4-7pm

And starting Wednesday 11th, we'll be doing every other Weds evening 7:30-10pm 🌜

Find us at 395 Cambridge Heath Road, where we share the space with the fabulous @peoplesletters.bsky.social 📚

Assessing the political and legal context of safer drug consumption facilities (SDCFs): a case study of the UK’s first SDCF, the “Thistle” project in Glasgow. - Scottish Graduate School of Social Scie... This project investigates the political, legal, and administrative contexts that enabled the opening of The Thistle Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF) in Glasgow in January 2025—the first such ser...

Another PhD opportunity we’d like to draw your attention to is the chance to research the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility – The Thistle in Glasgow! Comes with the opportunity for a funded studentship.

Read more below, and apply by 24th March.

www.sgsss.ac.uk/studentship/...

Closing 5pm today!

Drugs, Civil Rights and the Alternative Society: A History of Release Principal Supervisor: Professor Toby Seddon (UCL) Co-Supervisor: Professor Alex Mold (LSHTM) Project Description Background Described as the oldest independent drugs charity in the world, Release w…

Release was founded in 1967, meaning we turn 60 next year 🎉

This funded PhD opportunity to study 6 decades of our history has just been announced, supervised by @tobyseddon.bsky.social and @alexmold.bsky.social

Take a look, share, and apply by 27th March!

bloomsbury.ac.uk/drugs-civil-...

You can also sign up to Talking Drugs’ newsletter via that same link which will keep you updated on monthly Global Drugs news and commentary. A highly recommended accompaniment!

Release newsletter sign up graphic

Are you signed up to our newsletter?

Each one includes UK news affecting people who use drugs, insights on our daily work, and job, volunteering and training opportunities. The next newsletter will hit inboxes on Friday!

Sign up here: 479bc79a371911f09e81737cb7f40a5e.eo.page/3s9v5

There's either a position as 'Joint Head of Legal Services' or as 'Legal Director' available, depending on experience.

More information on that and details about what both roles entail are available on the link above ☝️

Contact liam@release.org.uk or niresha@release.org.uk for an informal chat

job vacancy ad at social justice charity organisation Release in legal leadership role

job vacancy at social justice organisation Release with salary dependent on position. full time, hybrid, in London, and application deadline

We're recruiting for a Senior Leadership Role in our legal team (and we've extended the deadline to apply)!

For more information, head to www.release.org.uk/vacancies

Deadline: 5pm, Monday 2nd March

graphic with opening hours for Release's harm reduction hub

graphic with information on what is offered at Release's harm reduction hub. this includes advice, signposting to local support, safer sex and drug use materials, and free phone charging, phone and computer use, needle and syringe programme, tea and coffee, community space

Our February opening hours:

Monday - Thursday, 2-5pm
Saturdays, 4-7pm
Wednesday 11th, 7-10pm

395 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9RA

Come by for a casual chat, a look at @peoplesletters.bsky.social's amazing book selection, and your safer drug and sex supplies!

The deadline to apply for our Legal Adviser role is coming up next week Thursday 5th February 2026 at 5pm!

Check out all the info and application details here: www.release.org.uk/vacancies

Poverty is deepening.

🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning.

People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people.

This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.

Drug ‘200 times stronger than heroin’ on London’s streets may have killed 13 A new synthetic opioid is hitting the streets of London - and leaving many dead.

🚨There is still an #AmberAlert in place 🚨

Worryingly, there have been NO updates on the situation since early December.

People are dying needlessly due to a lack of the right information...

#cychlorphine

metro.co.uk/2026/01/15/w...

Harm reduction advice applies no matter what you're taking.

Start low, go slow: Try a little bit of a new batch and wait to see what the effects/strength is before you go again. ⌛

Carry Naloxone. 🤝

Avoid using alone. 🫂

Test/check when possible. ✅

Drug ‘200 times stronger than heroin’ on London’s streets may have killed 13 A new synthetic opioid is hitting the streets of London - and leaving many dead.

Cychlorphine has by now been linked to an estimated 13 deaths in the past few months. It has reportedly also shown up in supplies of cocaine, and possibly other drugs more commonly associated with nightlife drug use.

metro.co.uk/2026/01/15/w...

John Glackin from @streetskitchen.bsky.social also said "People are dying in Camden needlessly due to lack of information" and explained that there has been "no mention", which means they're unable to circulate information.

Our Head of Drugs commented that the recent crackdown on precursor materials used to make nitazenes means it was expected that another synthetic opioid would emerge on the market.

They also highlight the importance of public alerts, as many people at risk are not in touch with services.

Warning over new opioid 200 times stronger than heroin as three dead within days Questions mount over delays in informing frontline services about the threat from new synthetic opioid cychlorphine.

At the end of last year, @bigissue.com reported on three deaths related to a new synthetic opioid that had emerged - cychlorphine - and asked why local warnings and public information had been delayed getting to frontline services.

Read the full report here: www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

job vacancy at release, advertising a for a legal advisor. picture has details of salary and hours and hybrid working. the job is in London and deadline to apply is 5pm Thursday 5th February

We are recruiting in our legal team!

We're looking for a Legal Adviser. This person will be delivering outreach advice and casework in benefits, housing and debt.

Deadline to apply is 5pm, Thursday 05 February 2026.

Full info and application details here: www.release.org.uk/vacancies

Visiting The Thistle: The UK’s First Legal Safer Drug Consumption Room in Glasgow A guided tour of The Thistle, the UK’s first legal safer drug consumption room in Glasgow, where care, dignity and life-saving harm reduction come first.

Step inside the UK’s first legal safer drug consumption room. In Drugreporter’s new video, Lynn MacDonald, service manager at The Thistle, takes us through a space built not only for life-saving safer use, but for compassion, dignity, and respect — putting care and humanity at the center.

opening hours at the harm reduction hub, 395 cambridge heath road, london e2 9ra

Our January opening hours:

Monday - Thursday, 2-5pm
Saturdays, 4-7pm
Wednesday 28th, 7-10:30pm

395 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9RA

Come by for a cup of tea, a chat, a browse in @peoplesletters.bsky.social, and re-stock your safer drug supplies, anything for injecting, and safer sex supplies!

Yesterday marked a year since the opening of the Thistle in Glasgow - the UK's first drug consumption room.

We hope they are paving the way for many more similar spaces to open across the UK, especially with news in October that drug checking at the space has been approved by the Home Office.

In England, take-home naloxone is patchy and varies by local authority bc there’s no national programme (unlike Scotland for example). Access often depends on people's contact with drug services.

We want naloxone in the hands of people who use drugs, their friends, family, and community.

The UK government has launched a consultation on expanding naloxone access, looking to change who can supply it and where it's available, notably without a prescription.

This is a good move as synthetic opioids like nitazenes have become a daily reality in drug supplies.

This research continues for the next few months, please continue to spread the word with anyone you know who might like to take part. 🗣️

Email housing-project@release.org.uk or text 07450974967 for more information!

We're back on Instagram, but just as The Hub for now!

Very excited to see anyone who's coming down to The Hub for our Christmas evening tomorrow - karaoke, food, and harm reduction supplies and all the usual available as always.

Stay as long as you like or just drop in ✨

Little update from us in a very busy time and a massive thank you to all our supporters and donors and volunteers ✨️🎄❤️

Login • Instagram Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

If you're on Instagram, we've set up an account for the Hub @ 395.

www.instagram.com/harmreduxhub

A little reminder of our opening hours this next week... 🎄

poster for Release's christmas evening on 25th december, 7pm-9pm at 396 cambridge heath road with kareoke, festive food and drinks and harm reduction supplies, open to everyone

Our Christmas day hours at the Hub will 7-9pm on Thursday 25th December! ✨ Everyone welcome ✨

No RSVP required - just show up to 395 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9RA. We'll be open that whole time, with no set time for food.

ask@release.org.uk / 020 7324 2989

Please spread the word!