Who are we?We are a group of over 50 students from across the globe, with the majority based in the UK. Although from widely multi-cultural and interdisciplinary backgrounds, we each share the desire to improve the growing problem of drug addiction amongst young people. Several of our members are part of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) organisation, which firmly aligns with our vision.
Estimates from a survey conducted by The Bridge Project suggests that over 250,000 patients are being prescribed BZDs far beyond the recommended treatment duration, presenting a serious public health problem in the UK.
– James Davis et al. 29.3% of those having taken BZD under appropriate instruction have also misused the same drug. – Kapil et al. Share your story with us here. |
What are our aims?(1) Understand young people's motivations for recreational benzo consumption
Testimonies that are sent in will be published on our website. From these we will create a final report, blog posts, harm reduction leaflets, and content for our social media channels. (2) Connect with NGOs by forming partnerships, hosting regular meetings, and hosting a cross-sector policy debate Since starting this project, we have formed partnerships with stakeholders and organisations and we want to continue doing so. Knowledge sharing is crucial to improving local services and emerging issues. We also want to build social media relationships to help grow each others' accounts and share information. We hosted a Hybrid, live streamed event at King's College London (05/12/22). We presented our work and key findings over the course of 16 months, followed by a debate on 'What should the future of UK drug policy look like?' You can watch it here. (3) Increase media coverage of young people’s recreational benzo use We believe that the growing benzo problem in the UK is under-reported, and young people's voices and experiences aren’t heard in the conversation. We advocate for journalists to write user-informed, non-discriminatory, and supportive articles so as to not demonise users. (4) Create and distribute harm reduction information on Instagram to young people across the UK Our social media team shares harm reduction and policy-related information on Instagram (@benzoresearchproject), Twitter (@benzoresearch), and TikTok (@benzoresearchproject). We have reached over 60,000 unique Instagram accounts, which demonstrates demand for harm reduction content. For more information about us, click here. |
Pictured are just a few members on our team!
We want to hear from you!Feel free to reach out regarding partnerships,
events, sponsorship, conferences, or questions. Our email is: benzoresearchteam@gmail.com 
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