‘Treat drugs as a criminal problem, you end up ruining people’s lives’

John Ashton helped save thousands of lives with a pioneering approach to heroin

Dear members — The Beatles; Everton FC; Liverpool FC; Terence Davies; Jodie Comer. Liverpool’s creations are beautiful and varied, but none should make you prouder of the city than one that’s a little less famous: the Mersey Model. There had been small experiments on taking a different approach to treating drug addicts before — but the Mersey Model, espoused in the 80s, was the first harm reduction approach to heroin (think: access to clean needles, using drugs in a controlled environment) with any decent scale. I’ve written about this fascinating topic before, but am returning to it thanks to an auspicious occasion. The model was pioneered — among others — by John Ashton, a towering figure in the world of healthcare, who worked alongside a team at the Maryland Centre in the Georgian Quarter. 

On Thursday this week a plaque will be unveiled to commemorate the legacy of the Maryland Centre, as well as the Seamen’s Dispensary, a clinic credited with massively reducing the spread of HIV i…