Drug Users Union

[Guest guest]

Hi List.

I've been in Copenhagen this weekend, and have among other things

visited " Brugerforeningen " (Drug Users Union).

Below this letter is a story of their origin.

The Union is getting funds from the government and the municipality of

Copenhagen, and their web site is very well informed about what's going

on in other parts of the world.

It's solely driven by it's members, although they have engaged a lawyer

(she calls herself a " street lawyer " ) and appointed her their general

secretary.

Most of them are on methadone, but makes no secret out of using illegal

drugs as well. Actually they have lately told the papers, that they are

buying drugs jointly to get it cheaper. It made some fuss, but the

Ministry of Social Affairs said it was what could be expected, and

refused to withdraw the money.

So, for the sake of argument, they are demonstrating that it's quite

possible to both use drugs and at the same time be responsible for

themselves and the community at large.

Among other things, they have collected 200.000 used 'pumps', most of

them infected with HIV or Hepatitis C. (About 80% of the drug users have

Hepatitis C, which have an incubation time of about 15-20 years.)

No NA'er would do that, I suppose. They are to busy to develop their

spirituality.

So if they continue as they have started, there is no question about

where the sympathy of the Danish people will be. And BTW, Danes are

always proud of their own inventions.

Because it truly is a Danish invention, as they invented the " Mad

Movement " consisting of psychiatric patients.

Now they are spreading throughout the world, and they are (of course)

very conscious about their anti-NA attitude. (I guess this is called

'denial'.)

I visited them from monday morning 10 PM until 1 PM the next day, and as

we took a liking of each other, they have almost decided to use me as an

consultant.

In this matter I will probably need some help from you guys from time to

time, and I'll hope you'll be supportive.

They have a guest book, and I think they would welcome anything from

abroad.

Bjørn

http://www.brugerforeningen.dk/bf.nsf/alle/index.html?open

The story about Danish Drug Users Union,

And how it all began. The need and rights of drug users.

Before the union:

Until late in1993 the institution Dag- og Doegncenteret, for some years

had driven an

activity and resting-place project for drug users. Sadly this popular

project was closed

because of some economical reasons. The place was open daily - very

popular, and used by

many Methadone maintenance treatment clients, as the meeting place which

arranged a

wide range of activities both of social, cultural and sports oriented

nature. Of course a

project with a lot of employees to run the project has to cost a lot of

money and one day

there wasn't more founding so the " Jaguaren " had to close down.

This closing of a well working project providing a lot of positive

activities was sad but

evident.

The unions start:

A group of drug users and a few supporters decided to create a real drug

user union, which

was founded on a meeting, at the 3.th. Of November in 1993.

The general idea was to created place where the main intention was help

to self-help and to

work for the needs and rights of drug users and against personal

isolation, both illegal drug

users and Methadone clients are welcome. There was a time with lot of

meeting activity

going on and it took quite a while just to seek the founding, but the

Danish Social Ministry

had some founds specially for groups of people who are poor, disabled or

minorities in other

ways. That founds provided money to the start of the union, and made it

possible to start

up seeking for a central place to have an office and create a meeting

place. The first

founding was directed for a three years period, and the institution

" Dag- og Doegncenteret "

who was directed to administrating the founds for the project, was

elected to continue to

administer the founds given to the union.

This co-operating on advising, directing and revising the founds was

working so well, that

the board in the union after the dictated testing period of three years,

decided to continue

the co-operation.

The union found a place:

There was found some places where the project could start, but the ideal

place took more

than two years. Finally late 1995 our domicile of to day was found, and

after some renewal

work the union moved in. In the first three years there was an employed

co-ordinator. One

person was paid to work for the interest of the union. The four persons

who had the job

over the years handled this job with various enthusiasms. The member

number was growing

slowly up to about 45 members in June 1996 where a dialog conference

named " Drugs year

2000 " with some 350 participants, was arranged by the union, and by this

event the union

got more public interest, and the press wrote more about the union. At

September 1996 the

person who had the job vent off with the member list and a minor cash

amount. That was

tragic and the board consisted of only four persons who had not very

much control on the

actual situation. But now twelve dedicated members went of to hold an

intern conference to

try to keep the union running again, with as little help from outsiders

as possible. An office

woman was found from a bureau and with the organising of the union on

computers, it all

went back to being a promising project. We got an email address and

registered the union

on the list og " Anti War ON Drugs Activists List " . Soon after a man from

a minor province city

mailed and asked why he as a Dane, had to look in an International list

to find out that there

was a Danish drug user union in Denmark. He was right we haven't got the

press to write

about us so we decided to make an event on our birthday on November the

3rd. But our

room was not very nice so we decided to delay the celebration a week,

and paint the whole

Union in this week. There was six-seven-partly-eight-nine-ten that

helped to paint and

redecorate the whole place, and build a scene from things we found in

the garbage

containers in the area. We bought some new drug and harm reduction

posters and two

Cavalet suitcases with drug replicas from Atlantic Project in London.

There was activity all

24 hours and a carpet to cover the scene was one of the last things we

bought. Then we

invited the whole world press TV channels and you name it we tried all

to get some just to

arrive. But we were just a bunch of " Junkies " who had a three years

project start day and

no one found that special interesting. Then a vice woman among the

members came up with

a great idea. " We got to hand out a honour " Userfriend of the year "

award, and we asked

the major of social affairs to hand over the price. A diploma was

created and placed into a

nice frame, and 3.000 d.kr. (App. 500, -. US $) was budgeted as the

price money. We

ordered our bank connection to produce a large check, and we were lucky

the very friendly

Major of Social affairs in Copenhagen said yes to come and spend some

hours as one of

many celebrity's and handing prize over.

We had a special person in mind to be the first receiver of the price.

He was (And still is)

front person, in a known drug addict's family and relative union. He had

voluntary spent

sixteen years on being in the middle, when a doctor wanted to give

Methadone, but his

client had a job to serve, and hadn't time to collect daily doses, or

the power to handle a

dose for more than a day.

Mr. Povl Tyge sen a retired pastry chef was the ideal person. He

also was one of the

few non-addict persons of the initial group working on the Union

creation idea. He was also

standing highest up on the ladder painting the fine strait lines, when

the relative few

members was redecorating the whole union right before, the combined

birthday party and

honour prize event.

Who could be more relevant to honour- that had earned it

more than he could?

Well the day turned up and we had the girls cooking all night, and the

boys washing and

cleaning all over after the paint job. There came about 60 persons from

all the drug field,

some to have a cheap laugh, which they didn't get because all their

negative pre thoughts

was made to laughter.

We made a nice figure. One of the national newspapers wrote a nice story

describing the

celebration. " A classical string trio, from the royal opera was making

the background sound.

Chocolate dipped strawberries, and a wide range of nice mouthpieces

blended with sparkling

wine, lots of flowers and nice home baked cookies was only a little part

of what happened

yesterday, when the " Druggie's " was handing their " Userfriend " price,

helped by the major of

social affairs. Followed by a picture with a bunch of users and the

honour award receiver in

the middle.

That was a start whistle-blow, which sent the Union down the trail of

hard work, success

and fame. Consequently the member count was growing faster and from some

40 before the

conference in June, there were more than 100 in the end of the same year

1996.

At Christmas evening the union held a traditional Danish Christmas

dinner, with duck and a

pork steak, and all the members participating received a personal gift,

handed out right after

the dance around the Christmas tree. This event was really a

satisfaction for the drug

users, which by several reasons didn't celebrate this holy day in their

families. Some have

only the other union members as friends and their family is the other

members, without any

other support or platform in their life.

On the last Sunday in the year a fishing trip on a large fishing boat,

for the willing members

was arranged, and a couple the traditional new year cod was cached. This

event's is now

steady traditions among many others.

The StreetPatrol outreach peer support project.

Volunteer drug user activists from Danish Drug Users' union provide a

peer based outreach

service as part of a partnership initiative with " Enghaven " Methadone

Clinic which is located

near the central Station in Copenhagen. The activists are all themselves

receiving

Methadone maintenance.

The outreach patrols easily access, engage and accepted by the drug

users on the open

drug scene, which is located near the Central Station and Church

Place. The outreach

projects main purpose is to link those drug users considering treatment

to the Methadone

Clinic. Over a cup of coffee and/or a cigarette the activists help drug

users explore whether

drug treatment is a desirable option. In addition, the outreach patrols

seek to reduce drug

related harm by distributing free sterile needles, syringes, water and

an information pamphlet

containing advice on safer injecting and blood borne viruses explain by

example how to

inject safer, and how to avoid blood borne diseases.

If someone expresses a desire to contact or re-enter the treatment

system, the 'patrol'

contacts the 'backup team' in " Enghaven " where an initial meeting takes

place. The

professional social workers identify which district centre or county has

the responsibility for

the person's treatment (based on the persons last known address) and an

appropriate

treatment package is offered within a suitable time limit. Where drug

users are afraid or shy

about approaching services, a skilled user advocate from the Drug Users

Union escorts the

potential client to the first centre meeting.

This partnership initiative has demonstrated an ability to offer

improved response times and

more realistic treatment options. The equal status of the Drug Users

Union in the partnership

recognises the expertise of the activists in reaching, advising and

advocating for their peers.

Joergen Kjaer

To be continued.

Danish Drug User's Union's addresse:

Danish Drug Users Union

Norrebrogade 20, 1.

DK - 2200 København N

Phone: +45 35 36 01 50

Fax: +45 35 36 01 69

E-mail: info@...

E-mail: jk@..., Joergen Kjaer.

E-mail: jb@..., Birk.

E-mail: aa@..., Allan Andersen.

E-mail: nwg@..., Nanna W. Gotfredsen.