Benzo Research Project

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What is the project?

Launched December 2025, this Benzo Research Project aims to better understand the lived and living experiences of young people who take benzodiazepines, or ‘benzos’, in Scotland. At Crew, we’re very excited to be part of this and to collaborate with the Benzo Research Project.

Right now, online, you can provide a written testimony as a young person (aged 16–30) who takes benzos about your experiences. For more information about the confidentiality and privacy policy of the project, check out the participant information here.

From this, a group of young people (who choose to provide information to take part), will be interviewed to better in-depth understanding of their experiences and improve the research.

Why study benzos?

56% of drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2024 involved benzos, and they have been key drivers of drug-related harms across Scotland for a long time. If you haven’t read the previous Benzo Research Project report, and didn’t take part, here’s your chance now! This project wants to make sure Scottish young people who take benzos are properly represented in education, policy, harm reduction and support

What is this for?

We aim to use the findings from this project to generate harm reduction materials, and contribute to improving drug policy, education and support provision for young people in Scotland.

This project is a collaboration between the Benzo Research Project, Dr Karenza Moore, Newcastle University, and Crew2000, and has been approved by the Newcastle University Research Ethics Committee (65006).

Further developments and advancements of the project will be shared here in the coming months, so stay tuned!

Resources

To share, download, print for free or order copies of these resources, please visit our Get Our Stuff page or email us at info@crew2000.org.uk for more information.

For details about the Benzo Research Project, please click here