Vale Jude Byrne

Abstract

March marks the second anniversary of the passing of globally esteemed drug reform advocate Jude Byrne. Internationally, as well as in her home country of Australia, Jude was a courageous advocate for the marginalised. Identifying unapologetically as a person who injects drugs for over 40 years, Jude's living experience drove her human rights perspectives on drug use, law and health. While spearheading political change, Jude inspired generations of people who use drugs, advocates, policy makers, treatment providers and researchers. Jude's passion for human rights and equity shone in her early work with women who use drugs in the 1980s through to her advocacy with politicians, senior bureaucrats and researchers at national and international levels. As a person who used drugs, her profound understanding of the social and political repercussions of marginalisation and stigma laid the foundation for innovative health programs, educational initiatives and policy change. To name a few, Jude coordinated the first peer-based drug user organisation in Canberra, helped to establish the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League as the national body advocating for people who use drugs in the early 1990s, became the first peer representative on a Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on drug policy and was key to the creation of the International Network of People Who Use Drugs. Jude lived through the heights of the HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C epidemics in Australia and was at the forefront of public health initiatives wherever she could get her foot in the door and even where she could not! Whether it was a high-level committee on national HIV prevention or a small, locally led health initiative to encourage hepatitis C testing, Jude provided advocacy and leadership. Her unique character—both formidable and compassionate—meant that people from all walks of life respected her point of view. Still, it would be remiss to ignore the stigma and discrimination she faced every step of the way. Jude's death underscores the importance of ongoing capacity building for, and investment in, the drug user movement. The type of skills and experience that Jude brought to the field was not built overnight. Such expertise is based on decades of persistence—courageous persistence in the face of intolerance and prejudice. It is often only when we lose a champion that we realise how hard they have had to work and fight to be the voice of their community. It should not have to be so difficult to build and maintain a strong peer-led drug user movement in Australia (and globally). Jude did not just point at the gaps and lament their existence, she committed to the engagement of people who use drugs, as she understood that this is the crucial aspect of driving change. Reflecting on Jude's life, we are struck by the big and small efforts she led to build genuine capacity and facilitate meaningful engagement. But it remains a fact that many harm reduction initiatives around the world are developed and run by peer organisations without appropriate political support and funding. Unremitting peers who fight to ensure that as many people as possible have access to life-saving and life-enhancing harm reduction services. Too often, they are doing it while waiting for broader society to catch up. Jude's passing begs us to honour her legacy by doubling down on our collective responsibility to lift up drug user representatives and to ensure that future leaders do not have to fight the same battles. In honour of Jude's immense contribution to the field, Drug and Alcohol Review is preparing a special section. As a transdisciplinary group of peers, advocates, clinicians and researchers committed to peer leadership in harm reduction, we have commissioned and are editing a series of papers for the section, which will reflect key areas influenced by Jude's life and work. Vale Jude, rest in power—we miss you.