Black
Poppy Publications is
a non profit making voluntary organisation that creates
and produces the drug user's health and lifestyle
magazine, Black Poppy.
It
began in 2000 with a small group of people, drug user's,
who wanted to produce a publication that would address
some of the health and lifestyle issues that affect
us on a daily basis. We wanted to delve into and tackle
some of the other more 'hidden' influences on our
lives such as drug treatment, discrimination in healthcare
settings, social exclusion, stereotyping and often,
an unbelievable ignorance.
We were acutely aware of the shortage of drug user
focussed information that really related to us and
ourllifestyle; the
drugs we take, how we take them, the health problems
we encounter, the trials of drug treatments and therapies,
relationships, prison, harm reduction issues - not
to mention the long and often frustrating road through
drug & alcohol treatment clinics.
BP
magazine wanted to provide a platform for people
to be able to talk about their views and experiences
- a narrative by us, for us on our own community.
We wanted to utilise the specialist knowledge and
understanding we have of our communities and begin
taking some control back -
Drug
users must be seen as part of the solution, not
the problem.
We
believe it is crucial we step up to the challenge
to work within our communities, regionally and nationally
to create safer and wiser drug strategies and policies
for the future
Today
We
produce a quarterly, 40 page magazine that covers
a wide range of topics. Drugs - what we're using,
what's new, what we're substituting, drug policy,
history, experiences and treatments, therapies, health,
overdose prevention and culture as well as news, views
and contacts.
|
Black
Poppy WEB-ZINE
Our
website will contain not only the best bits from
our magazine but will also include additional news,
health and lifestyle information, stories and artwork
from you, the reader, drug user politics and user
activism, events coming up and many of the issues
and concerns that are relevant to us in the drug
using community.
Email
the editor and crew at BP and let us know what you'd
like to see either online or in our magazine. If
you'd like to contribute with personal stories,
articles, artwork poem or prose - we'd love to hear
from you - we pay 20 pounds for every article we
publish. Black Poppy does not judge people who use
drugs but believe that those who do should not be
denied the right to up to date information on a
range of drug, health and lifestyle issues, in order
to make more informed and hopefully safer, decisions.
Black Poppy Magazine reflects what is going on in
the drug using community. It keeps abreast of health
issues rarely discussed elsewhere and challenges
the misinformation and myths
about drugs and drug users. We believe we can try
to be more informed, support each other where we
can, share safer information, challenge the media
hype and bring innovative and brave new ideas on
drugs and drug use, into future discussions, strategies
and policies that surround the drugs and the drugs
discourse.
You
can find out more about what our magazine has to
offer and details about how to subscribe to our
hardcopy magazine on our online subscription page
or take a look at our back issues - they'll be available
soon in PDF format - but we're currently sold out
of most of our hard copies. Thanks for checking
out BP and stay tuned as our site develops.
Erin O'Mara -Editor
blackpoppy@btconnect.com
Open days:
Tel:
+44 0207 622 7770 Tue-Fri, from 1pm-6pm
FESTIVAL
& ARTISTIC SUPPORT:
The
BP Collective offer support, information and advice
for festivals and events. BP also provide accurate
and insightful knowledge of drugs and drug issues
for use in the art and media sectors, in an effort
to
challenge stereotypes, address
the volumes of repeated misinformation, and challenge
the notion of drug users as shameful, criminal,
and numb.. Please get in touch for further
details. blackpoppy@btconnect.com
|
