Principal Supervisor: Professor Toby Seddon (UCL)

Co-Supervisor: Professor Alex Mold (LSHTM)

Project Description

Background

Described as the oldest independent drugs charity in the world, Release was founded in London in 1967 to provide legal advice and support to people arrested for alleged drug offences. Early clients included John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1968 and George Harrison in 1969. In the 1970s, the focus expanded, notably into work at music festivals where young people experienced issues with police raids and undercover officers, and Release’s scope continued to evolve in the decades that followed. Today, Release is a recognised centre of expertise on drug laws and human rights and carries out a range of policy, advocacy and advice work. At its heart remains the mission of supporting people adversely affected by the drug laws.

Despite its longevity, Release has received little academic attention to date. This project seeks to address this gap in the historiography of British drug policy and the voluntary sector by tracing the history of an important organisation. Through an analysis of Release’s work, the project will shed new light on the development and impact of drug policy over the last 60 years. Arriving at a deeper understanding of the roots of policy and practice will help explain its current forms and provide insight about where it might go next.

The supervisory team is especially well placed to support and guide this work: lead supervisor Seddon has 30 years’ drugs research experience and is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees at Release; co-supervisor Mold has over 20 years’ experience as a public health historian and has previously used the Release archives. Beyond telling the story of a significant organisation and its place in the evolution of British drug law and policy, a history of Release will also provide a distinctive window onto the wider history of Britain over the last 60 years. Specifically, it will generate insights on a range of social, cultural and political developments during this period, notably around young people, human rights, harm reduction, welfare and the relationship between state and non-state actors. 

Aims and Objectives

The overarching aim of the project is to produce the first full history of Release, from its founding in 1967 to the present. In meeting that aim, there are three objectives:

• To understand the origins and emergence of Release, in the context of the counter-culture in the 1960s.
• To locate the creation and evolution of Release in relation to the historical development of British drug law and policy over the last 60 years.
• To describe the role of Release in debates around drugs, drug law reform, harm reduction and human rights.

Methodology

The first stage of the project will involve reviewing the literature in three key domains: the counter-culture and ‘alternative society’ of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the development of the voluntary sector, and the evolution of British drug policy.

The core of the project will draw on a number of main sources. The central source will be the Release archives held at the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick. This consists of 58 boxes of material, primarily covering the period from 1967 to the 1980s. The researcher will conduct an initial scoping of the boxes to evaluate the overall contents and coverage, before working through each box. These archives require access permission from the depositor, Caroline Coon, and this has been secured ‘in principle’ by the supervisory team.

The second key source will be a series of oral history interviews with individuals with connections to or knowledge of Release, including current/former staff and trustees. It is estimated that approximately 15 interviews will be conducted. These will focus more on the period from the 1990s onwards, as this is less covered in the archives, although some interviewees may have insights relevant to earlier decades as well. Interviews will be recorded and fully transcribed, and if permission is granted, archived.

The third principal source will be documents relating to the post-2000 period which are held by Release, mainly in electronic form. These will be collated and studied. Access will be facilitated through Seddon in his capacity as Chair of the Release Board.

Ethical approval will be sought from the lead institution. Relevant ethical considerations will include the appropriate handling/storage/processing of interview data, questions of anonymity for individuals still living (arising from interviews or archival material) and compliance with the requirements of the Modern Records Centre and the Release archives.

Subject Areas/Keywords

Drug policy, history, law, human rights, public health, counterculture

Key References

• Coon, C. and Harris, R. (1969) The Release Report on Drug Offenders & The Law. Sphere Books.
• Mold, A. (2006) ‘‘The Welfare Branch of the Alternative Society?’ The Work of Drug Voluntary Organization Release, 1967–1978’ Twentieth Century British History 17(1) 50–73.

Further details about the project may be obtained from:

Principal Supervisor: Toby Seddon, t.seddon@ucl.ac.uk

Co-Supervisor: Alex Mold, alex.mold@lshtm.ac.uk

Further information about PhDs at UCL is available from:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/courses/graduate-research

Application forms and details about how to apply are available from:

Clare Elliott, UBEL DTP, clare.elliott@ucl.ac.uk

Closing date for applications is:

17^th March 2026