Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, provides a deep-dive into the world of drug consumption rooms. Fresh from a recent visit to the UK's first legal drug consumption centre in Glasgow. As former deputy drug Czar to Tony Blair in the Labour Government, Mike's reflective podcast explores the complexity of this new approach - outlining the pros and cons of how these might evolve across the UK.

Drug Consumption Rooms: Helpful or Harmful?

Mike Trace (CEO Forward Trust) explores the complexity of recovery wings within the prison system. Based on his 40 years of experience – from government official, to international advisor, to the charity sector Mike’s detailed examination of the recovery wings uncovers related themes including criminal justice reform, education programmes within the prison system, rehabilitation support and ways that charities - like The Forward Trust - are supporting prisoners into long-term recovery.

Recorded: April 2025

How Do We Make Prisons Work - Part 2 - The Gauke Review

“If we put the billions we are spending into warehousing 80,000 people into proper rehabilitation, we will have less crime, less victims of crime, and more people getting out of a lifestyle of crime and back into a positive, socially included lifestyle.”

Recorded in March 2025, Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, explains more about prison capacity and the pressures this places across the criminal justice system.

This update closely links to Forward's announced partnership with The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Mitie (March 2025) connected with HMP Millsike in Yorkshire; Millsike is a new prison facility that aims to improve the living conditions and rehabilitation prospects of its incoming Category C prisoners.

Recorded: March 2025

How Do We Make Prisons Work? Part 1 - The Gauke Review

Forward Trust CEO, Mike Trace, is joined by Asi Panditharatna MBE, Executive Director for Employment Services to talk about the government white paper on ‘Get Britain Working’.

Mike and Asi discuss employability schemes in the UK, and how the new government can better meet the needs of various individuals seeking employment, especially those who have found employment harder due to issues with addiction, mental health, and disability.

The Forward Trust is a registered UK charity that continues to work with individuals with substance use, those in the criminal justice system, ex-offenders and other marginalised groups to receive life-changing support to transform their lives.

Recorded: February 2025

Can We Get Britain Working Again?

Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, takes an in-depth review and analysis of the current state of drug harms and drug policy in the UK.
This update considers the current state of play with UK drug supply, consumption and harms – and what the government is currently doing, and could do better.

Mike also elaborates on the work and contribution of The Forward Trust, a charity that continues to work with individuals with substance use dependency and addiction to transform their lives.

Recorded: January 2025

What Will Labour Do With The National Drug Strategy?

October's issue of Leading Forward looks at the subject of legalising drugs – always a hot political topic, but a question that raises complex issues of morality, public health, law enforcement, and social control.  The complex nature of this issue is unpacked by The Forward Trust CEO, Mike Trace, picking up on the recent policy announcement by The Green Party to consider legalising drugs if they win the next General Election. As former deputy drug Czar in Tony Blair’s Labour Government, Mike's podcast urges a mature discussion of a very sensitive issue.

Legalising All Drugs - Are The Green Party on to Something?

Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, discusses the recommendations of the recent London Drugs Commission report (May 2025.) The report makes 42 recommendations, in which Mike Trace talks through his views on many of the key points - including removing cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act. As a subject matter expert with over 40 years of experience of drug policy, Mike unpacks the detail of the report so you don’t have to! 

Recorded: June 2025

Decriminalisation of Drug Consumption – Is Sadiq Khan Right?

In this latest episode of Leading Forward, Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, takes a thorough review into global drug policy, the war on drugs and the United Nations. Having worked as ‘Drug Czar’ within Tony Blair's Labour Government in the 1990s, and leading drug policy roles at the European Union and the United Nations, Mike's extensive knowledge and experience of prison reform, drug policy and the wider criminal justice system is showcased in this expansive update.

Recorded: July 2025

If The War On Drugs Is Over, Who Won?

The Forward Trust is a social justice charity that supports people to recover from addiction or leave behind crime, helping them move on in life with family, friends, jobs, homes, and a sense of belonging. Leading Forward is a new ongoing audio series providing thought leadership views and opinions from Forward's CEO and other colleagues.