Scottish Drugs Forum

What Scottish Drugs Forum does

Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) is a Glasgow-based national non-profit and registered Scottish charity (SC 008075), operating as a company limited by guarantee (no. 106295) since 1986. It functions as Scotland's central knowledge, training, and convening resource on drug and alcohol issues, serving people with lived and living experience of substance use, health and social care professionals, third-sector partner organizations, and Scottish policymakers. Its core deliverables include training programmes and e-learning, paid membership, conferences (#StopTheDeaths), the SDF podcast, service directories, peer-led research reports, and rapid-response resources on emerging drug threats such as synthetic nitazenes.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its core assets are accumulated subject-matter expertise, training content, and convening power built over nearly four decades. Recent outputs include a Nitazenes Resource (September 2025), a peer-led Low-Alcohol Intervention Bar report (August 2025), the #StopTheDeaths resource (January 2024), and the recurring #StopTheDeaths conference series running in 2025 and 2026. SDF also operates within the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Substance Use and partners with the Scottish National Epidemiology and Wastewater Reporting Framework (SNEWF) for near-real-time drug-trend data and with national MAT Standards implementation efforts.

SDF's revenue model is a multi-stream charity mix: training and e-learning fees, organizational membership, paid conference and event ticketing (processed via Stripe), alongside grants, donations, and statutory funding. The customer base is intentionally distributed across individuals, professionals, third-sector organizations, and government stakeholders, with no single anchor customer dominating. Headcount stands at 61 employees as of the latest available data. SDF is not an investment-target entity in the venture sense; its operating logic is mission-driven charitable delivery funded by a combination of earned income and grants.

Name

Scottish Drugs Forum

Legal name

Scottish Drugs Forum

Website

https://sdf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Scottish Drugs Forum is a Glasgow-based national charity founded in 1986 serving as Scotland's central resource on drug and alcohol issues, delivering training, peer-led research, conferences, and policy engagement for people with lived experience, professionals, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Harm Reduction and Substance Use Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

Keywords

• Harm reduction services
• Substance use training
• Addiction professional development
• Drug policy advocacy
• Peer-led recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Training and E-Learning Services: Revenue generated through training programs and e-learning courses offered via the SDF Learning Centre (sdflearningcentre.org.uk), including classroom training, SVQ certification, and online learning modules.
2. Membership Fees: Membership is open to anyone who shares the values and aims of SDF, suggesting membership fees as a revenue stream supporting organizational operations.
3. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticketed events including the annual #StopTheDeaths Conference. Events booking system uses Stripe payment processing for ticket purchases.
4. Donations and Charitable Grants: The organization operates as a registered Scottish charity (SC 008075) and solicits donations through its website, indicating reliance on charitable donations and potentially grant funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Scottish Drugs Forum is Scotland's national resource of expertise on substance use, delivering training, professional development (including SVQ accreditation), peer-led research and naloxone programmes, harm reduction resources, and policy advocacy. The organisation operates the SDF Learning Centre e-learning platform, the Drug and Alcohol Services Directory, the annual #StopTheDeaths Conference, and produces the Drugs Uncut podcast, while engaging with Scottish Parliament through the Cross Party Group on Substance Use.

Product overview

Scottish Drugs Forum operates as a single integrated organisation offering multiple interconnected services rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core is the main SDF website (sdf.org.uk) serving as the national resource hub. This connects to the dedicated SDF Learning Centre for e-learning and training delivery, and the Drug and Alcohol Services Directory for service discovery. The portfolio includes peer-based initiatives (Peer Naloxone, Peer Research, National Traineeship, Living Experience Engagement), training and professional development (Training Services, E-Learning, SVQ Centre, Local Support), harm reduction resources (Drug Death Prevention, Emergency Responses), knowledge exchange (SNEWF, Cross Party Group), public education resources (Nitazenes Resource, #StopTheDeaths materials), and the Drugs Uncut Podcast. Events include the annual #StopTheDeaths Conference. The organisation is a charity and company limited by guarantee (no. 106295) registered in Scotland (charity SC 008075).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SDF Learning Centre Dedicated e-learning and training platform offering structured courses, e-learning modules, and SVQ certification programs for health and social care professionals working in the substance use field.
• Training Services
• SVQ Centre
• Drug and Alcohol Services Directory National online directory providing information on drug and alcohol support services in Scotland, including injecting equipment provision.
• #StopTheDeaths Conference Annual ticketed conference addressing drug-related deaths in Scotland, run as part of the national #StopTheDeaths campaign.
• Drugs Uncut Podcast Podcast series providing informal yet informed conversation on drug-related issues in Scotland, distributed via Podbean.
• Peer Naloxone Programme Peer-delivered naloxone initiative empowering people with lived experience to administer overdose-reversal medication to others in their communities.
• SDF National Traineeship Workplace and development traineeship programme providing pathways into the substance use sector for individuals with lived and living experience of drug use.
• SDF Membership Membership programme open to anyone who shares the values and aims of SDF, supporting the organisation's operations and engagement with the substance use sector.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Substance UsecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDF participates in the Cross Party Group on Substance Use at the Scottish Parliament, engaging directly with parliamentarians on substance use policy and legislation.
• Scottish Near-Real-Time Drug-Related Death Data (SNEWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDF is involved in SNEWF, a near-real-time data initiative tracking drug-related deaths in Scotland, supporting evidence-based policy responses.
• MAT Standards Implementation (MATstandards.scot)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDF supports the implementation of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards across Scotland, providing expertise on standards delivery and monitoring.
• StopTheDeaths CampaignflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDF leads the #StopTheDeaths campaign and conference, a national initiative to prevent drug-related deaths in Scotland, partnering with stopthedeaths.com.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drug Policy Alliance: US-based advocacy organization working on drug policy reform, harm reduction, and evidence-based policy. Comparable to SDF in policy advocacy and knowledge-exchange role within the substance use sector.
• National Harm Reduction Coalition: US-based harm reduction organization providing training, resources, and advocacy on drug user health. Comparable to SDF in harm reduction training and advocacy mission.
• Harm Reduction International: Global NGO working on drug policy and harm reduction advocacy, research, and capacity building. Comparable to SDF in policy engagement, training, and convening role, but operating internationally.
• Turning Point: UK social enterprise providing substance use, mental health, and learning disability services with embedded training, peer involvement, and policy advocacy. Comparable to SDF in operating model (training plus service influence) and sector.
• We Are With You: Major UK charity delivering substance use treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services across multiple regions. Highly comparable to SDF in mission, beneficiary base, and training/policy focus, but operates UK-wide rather than Scotland-only.
• Adfam: UK charity supporting families affected by drugs, alcohol, and gambling, providing training and resources for professionals. Comparable to SDF in mission and training-focused non-profit model.
• DrugFAM: UK charity supporting families affected by drug and alcohol use, providing training, helpline services, and advocacy. Comparable in mission and non-profit training/advocacy model to SDF.
• Exchange Supplies: UK social enterprise supplying injecting equipment and harm reduction products while producing training resources on drug-related deaths and naloxone. Highly comparable to SDF in harm reduction training/products scope, though distribution-led.

Regional players

• Crew 2000: Scotland-based harm reduction charity focused on drug-related harm reduction among young people, including a drop-in service. Directly comparable peer at the Scotland geographic level but with a narrower age-focused niche.
• Scottish Recovery Consortium: Scottish recovery community umbrella body supporting recovery organisations and lived-experience involvement. Comparable to SDF in the Scottish substance use landscape and in elevating lived-experience voice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC58J0Kstv96yFkg9UHlByDg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scottish-drugs-forum

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Drugs Forum