This year marks 20 years since Ukraine first introduced opioid substitution therapy (OST) programme. Over the course of these two decades, experiences were accumulated, with evidence collected to confirm its effectiveness. In addition, mechanisms have been developed to address the challenges and obstacles faced by people who use drugs in Ukraine.
In honour of this milestone, a documentary film by Drug Users News (DUNews) captures the history of the programme, from the first advocacy steps in the 1990s to today’s war with russia.
“20 Years of Substitution Therapy in Ukraine” is not just the story of a programme that has saved, and continues to save, thousands of lives in Ukraine; it is also a chronicle of the country’s development over the years. Through the lens of substitution therapy, the film shows the path Ukraine has travelled as a former member of the soviet union to an independent democratic state, now resisting russia’s full-scale invasion of its territory.
Learn more in the TalkingDrugs article
20 Years of Substitution Therapy in Ukraine
