One of the top priorities for me as a local MP is to tackle Brighton and Hove's very sad reputation as the drugs death capital of the UK.

So last night, I was at the Audrey Emerton Building in Kemptown to address a meeting of local PCT practitioners who work specifically on substance abuse.

The meeting was a positive one, with practitioners showing a real interest in a fresh debate on how we deal with drugs in our city. In particular, there was strong support for a far greater focus on treating drug misuse as a public health concern, instead of a criminal issue.

My proposal for a high level roundtable in the city, bringing together medical experts, the police and other key local stakeholders to help develop an alternative approach, was also strongly supported - and I'm pleased to say that this will now go ahead at the end of the summer.

Some people at the meeting expressed concerns over the guarantee of funding for the pioneering RIOTT trial in Brighton, which I visited at the end of last year.

I've followed this up today with some parliamentary questions to health ministers, in the hope that we can ensure the necessary resources in the long term. There is clear evidence to show that the work done in programmes such as RIOTT plays a key role in reducing drug-related harms.

Both here and on the news pages, I'll be keeping you updated on the work I'm doing on drugs policy during the coming months.