Mike Trace has a wide range of experience in the field of drug and alcohol treatment and policy, from direct work with people who use drugs, to senior positions in national government and international agencies.
Following a period of 12 years working in and managing projects that provided care and support to the homeless, drug users and offenders, Mike was offered the post of Deputy UK Anti-Drug Co-ordinator (National Drug Czar) in 1997, and held this post until 2002.
From 2000 to 2003, he was the Chairman of the European Union drugs agency, the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), and from 2002 to 2003, also held the post of Chief of the Demand Reduction Section at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
Since leaving his United Nations post, Mike has returned to the UK, and the non-governmental sector. He has combined two leadership roles in the field of drug policy and drug dependence treatment:
- as Chief Executive of the Forward Trust (www.forwardtrust.org.uk), a large national charity providing care and rehabilitation services to offenders and those struggling with addiction.
- as Founder and Chairman of the International Drug Policy Consortium (www.idpc.net ), a global network of NGOs with an interest in the promotion of humane and effective drug policies.
Mike continues to advise policy makers around the world on social and penal policy.