Background
The participation and representation of those with lived and living experience is vital for drug policy legitimacy, but engagement can be challenging. Firstly, who identifies as a Person Who Uses Drugs (PWUD) is a subjective and personal matter. Many people are not willing to ‘exposed,’ or do not identify as a PWUD, even if they consume illicit substances. This highlights ethical and definitional barriers in participation. Secondly, drug policy knowledge varies, and processes of participation must consider diverse levels of knowledge (Askew and Bone, 2020). Thirdly, attitudes towards drugs are influenced by a variety of factors, in addition to lived experience (Askew et al. 2022). Finally, methods of engagement must be meaningful, recognise which voices are marginalised, and should avoid tokenism (Lancaster et al. 2018; Stowe et al, 2022).
Methods, Results, and Implications
This paper critically reflects on how these challenges were navigated in the UK Drug Policy Voices project. This project used a mixed methodology, which included a novel attitudinal survey, creative outputs (poems, drawing, and letters) workshop debates and narrative interviewing. This multimethod approach allowed for variation in ‘voice’ and promoted inclusivity via a participant-led approach. However, methodological challenges were navigated in relation to the method adopted, data collection within the Covid epoch, and the synthesisation of multiple voices and experiences. The paper concludes by critically reflecting on the conceptualisation and representation of ‘voice’ of those with lived experience within drug policy debates and processes.