SDF's annual
#StopTheDeaths conference 2026
Wednesday 26TH August - Thursday 27TH August
Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow
10am - 4pm
TICKETS - ON SALE NOW!
Scottish Drugs Forum’s annual #StopTheDeaths conference returns in 2026 with a two-day event dedicated to reducing drug-related deaths and harms. This year’s conference takes place on Wednesday, 26 and Thursday, 27 August at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.
Timed to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, the conference will bring together key stakeholders, including people with living and lived experience, policymakers, service providers, and health and social care professionals. Together, we will explore democratic policy development, service improvement and harm reduction practices.
Our Stop The Deaths conference 2026 is a vital learning and development opportunity for professionals across health, social care, policy and community sectors.
Delegates will gain enhanced knowledge, fresh perspectives and actionable insights to strengthen their work – and together, we will Stop The Deaths.
People with living and lived experience are central to the programme on both days, ensuring learning is grounded in real-world perspectives and focused on meaningful change.
Speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, explore what to expect from each day below.
Day One
Inequality, policy and the human impact of drug harms
The first day of our Stop The Deaths conference focuses on poverty and inequality as key drivers of drug-related harm, deepening understanding of how structural disadvantage, deprivation and social exclusion shape patterns of substance use – and highlighting the urgent need for responses rooted in equity and social justice.
Sessions will explore the impact of drug-related deaths on families and young people, alongside the significant – and often overlooked – role of alcohol in wider substance-related harm.
Set within a rapidly evolving political landscape, the programme will support delegates to understand and respond to national priorities, government decision-making and global drug policy developments.
Day Two
Emerging trends, substances and innovative responses
Day Two offers a forward-looking exploration of current and emerging issues in substance use, highlighting new trends, research and practical responses.
Sessions will examine substances of growing concern, including cocaine and ketamine, alongside innovative approaches such as drug checking services. Delegates will gain a deeper understanding of evolving patterns of use and their implications for practice, policy and service delivery.
A dedicated focus on neurodiversity and substance use will offer insight into how different cognitive experiences intersect with drug use, helping professionals better recognise and respond to diverse support needs.
Peer-led research will feature strongly throughout the programme, bringing forward real-world evidence and perspectives from affected communities to support meaningful, context-driven practice.
Across both days, delegates will move from understanding the deep-rooted causes of drug-related harm to responding effectively in practice.
Join us for the full conference – book your two-day ticket.
EVENT SPEAKERS
Ruth dreifuss
Sarah Helm (Pākehā, Kāi Tahu, Kati Mamoe, Waitaha)
David Walsh
David will provide an overview of health inequalities and their profoundly political influences within Glasgow, Scotland and the wider UK. This will include the long-term historical context, as well as the dramatic and politically driven changes to inequalities seen across the UK over the last 16 years.
David is a Senior Lecturer in Health Inequalities at the @uofglasgow, where he has been in post since February 2024. He has more than 30 years’ experience in health inequalities research, including 17 years at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health prior to taking up his current role.
AJ Martin
AJ will discuss the connections between autism, drugs and society. Grounded in historical, scientific and experiential knowledge, AJ will explore how drugs are often used as a tool for survival in a neuronormative environment, while inviting us to consider how we can enter meaningful dialogue with neurodivergent communities to reduce drug-related harms.
AJ is a researcher and harm reduction advocate based in London. He is a PhD candidate and Co-Project Lead at the @benzoresearchproject, as well as a Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) alumnus. Since entering the harm reduction and drug policy space in 2021, AJ has focused on platforming the voices of young people who take drugs.
He has co-authored a qualitative research report on young people’s benzodiazepine use, presented on topics including nitazenes, student-led harm reduction and autism, and worked with drug services across the UK to improve support and staff training.
Each year, #StopTheDeaths connects people across sectors to turn insight into action.
The conference has become a space where ideas are tested, partnerships are built and progress is challenged, helping to strengthen Scotland’s response to drug-related deaths.
The theme and speakers for our 2026 conference will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can watch DrugReporter’s documentary on last year’s event.
Advocates for Change: Grounding the Conference in Living Experience
Taking place ahead of the main conference, Advocates for Change brings together people with living and lived experience of drug use to reflect, connect, and lead. The insights and priorities shaped through this gathering will inform the content and structure of the #StopTheDeaths 2026 Conference. This approach reflects SDF’s commitment to participatory policymaking and to centring the voices of those most affected in the response to drug-related harm in Scotland.
Read more about ‘Advocates for Change’: Here
Past Events
Past Speakers
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