SDF’S ANNUAL #STOPTHEDEATHS CONFERENCE 2025
August 27 @ 10:00 am – August 28 @ 4:00 pm
Prioritising people – from Politics to Practice
SDF’s annual #StopTheDeaths conference has become Scotland’s largest and best-attended drug-related conference over the last eight years. Now expanded to two days, the event offers a unique opportunity to contribute to discussion, learning, and networking with colleagues from across Scotland, the UK, and internationally while marking International Overdose Awareness Day.
This year, the conference will include significant contributions from colleagues working in Ireland, where parallel developments and innovations offer opportunities for mutual learning and support. As we approach 2026 and the end of the National Mission to Reduce Drug-Related Harms, the conference will also feature politicians from multiple parties reflecting on lessons learned and future policy development.
A key focus of the event will be lived and living experience perspectives, democratic policy development, and best practices in service provision to reduce drug-related deaths and harms. To ensure that discussions and outcomes are informed by those directly affected, the event will be shaped by an invite-only lived and living experience day held beforehand. SDF is working with people with living experience from across Scotland to ensure that they are present and contributing, bringing forward the often-marginalized voices of people using drugs, accessing services, and those most affected by policy and practice.
Key Themes:
Day 1 – Developing evidence-based policy and strategy:
Delegates will be joined by people with living experience, people developing policy and elected representatives to discuss recent developments in the way policies are produced.
Day 2 – Developing evidence-based services:
Delegates will be joined by people developing and delivering innovative practice as well as people with living experience engaged with these services to discuss progress made and the future service provision.
Each day the conference will run from 10am to 4pm.
Programme announcements coming soon…
Click here for more information about the conference.