When Priti Patel warned that police could be ordered to raid student halls for drugs, she assumed that universities would be on board.
But decision-makers are increasingly turning against failed drug policies in favour of public health approaches.
This coincides with Bristol City Council bringing together stakeholders last month to coordinate harm reduction messaging, following the death of a young person and the hospitalisation of several others.
Yet, a Bristol City Council proposal to introduce safer drug consumption rooms – which globally have never reported an overdose death despite overseeing tens of thousands of injections – was rejected by the government on 15 September.