Peter Krykant

Peter Krykant
Born(1976-11-13)November 13, 1976
DiedJune 9, 2025(2025-06-09) (aged 48)
Larbert

Peter Krykant (13 November 1976–9 June 2025) was a Scottish drugs campaigner.

He grew up in Maddiston, near Falkirk where he experienced sexual abuse. He used drugs from age 11[1] and started injecting heroin aged 17.[2] He was hospitalised with psychosis while stil in his teens. [3] He experienced drug addiction and homelessness. He was able to overcome his addiction, got married, and had two sons. He "worked successfully in sales for over a decade, first in Brighton, and later returning north of the border, where he subsequently trained as an addiction support worker".[1]

He came to public attention in 2019 - while Scotland was "grappling with the highest drug-related death rate in Europe"[4] He had by this time been free of drugs for 11 years. "He aligned himself with You Keep Talking, We Keep Dying, a campaign spearheaded by Anne Marie Ward, CEO of campaigning charity Faces and Voices of Recovery, to push for urgent reforms in drug treatment and policy".[3] In 2020 he raised over £2000 through a fund-raising appeal[5] and converted first a minibus, then a former ambulance, to act as an unofficial safe consumption facility in which heroin users could inject themselves. The aim was to provide "clean water, needles and swabs, as well as supplies of naloxone, the potentially life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose"[1] This operated illegally for nine months. [6] The UK Government had refused to sanction the facility. By providing sterile facilities he sought to eliminate blood-borne infections such as HIV, and avoid deaths from overdoses. A scientific study by academics from four institutions found that he "oversaw nearly 900 injections, successfully intervening in all nine overdoses that occurred" [7] Krykant was arrested in 2020, but the charges against him were later dropped. [6] In 2021, as part of his campaigning he met with Nicola Sturgeon, then First Minister of Scotland. [8] He also stood unscuccessfully for the Scottish Parliament that year. [9] His campaign was filmed by the Guardian.[10]

In 2023 Scotland's Lord Advocate intervened to say that prosecutions for possessions of drugs in safe consumption rooms were not in the public interest. [11] This led to the creation of The Thistle, in Glasgow's East End - the only controlled drugs consumption room in the UK - which opened in 2025. [12]

He was found dead in Larbert on 9 June 2025, aged 48, by police officers.[2] [13] [1]It was resported that his marriage had broken up, and that he had been using drugs again in recent years.[3] He is survived by two sons[1]

Following his death, tributes were paid from public figures including John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland, who said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" and that Krykant had left “an important legacy which will be remembered”.[13] Darren McGarvey said that "Krykant’s legacy is assured, and he leaves Scotland’s drug debate in a far better place than he found it." [3] Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said that "We can’t underestimate the contribution he made to the drugs debate in Scotland, which came amid many years of increasing overdose deaths."

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Brooks, Libby (2025-06-20). "Peter Krykant obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  2. ^ a b "Drugs campaigner Peter Krykant dies, aged 48". BBC News. 2025-06-11. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  3. ^ a b c d McGarvey, Darren (2025-06-18). "The dark truth about Peter Krykant". UnHerd. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  4. ^ Bunn, James (2025-06-17). "Peter Krykant". Drug Science. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  5. ^ Brooks, Libby (2020-03-09). "Glasgow activist risks arrest to set up drug consumption room in a van". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  6. ^ a b "'Courageous' drug policy campaigner Peter Krykant found dead". The Independent. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  7. ^ Shorter, Gillian W; Harris, Magdalena; McAuley, Andrew; Trayner, Kirsten MA; Stevens, Alex (2022-06-01). "The United Kingdom's first unsanctioned overdose prevention site; A proof-of-concept evaluation". International Journal of Drug Policy. 104: 103670. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103670. ISSN 0955-3959.
  8. ^ McGivern, Mark; Shepherd, Jordan (2025-06-12). "Tributes paid to pioneering Glasgow drugs reformer after sudden death". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  9. ^ "Peter Krykant - Candidate for Falkirk East in Scottish Parliament elections (Constituencies)". Democracy Club Candidates. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  10. ^ Cherry, Christopher; Shearlaw, Maeve; Lamborn, Katie; Guardian, Source: The (2021-04-29). "Scotland's drug deaths crisis: saving lives with an 'illegal' injection van - video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  11. ^ "'Not in public interest' to prosecute for possession in drugs consumption room". The Independent. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  12. ^ "Labour refuses to back controlled drug use rooms despite ongoing pilot". The Independent. 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  13. ^ a b "Shock and sadness following death of Falkirk drug campaigner Peter Krykant at 48". Falkirk Herald. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
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