UK's first safe drugs consumption room opens in Glasgow

After nearly a decade of political wrangling, the UK's first safe drugs consumption room is open to the public.

From today, the Thistle Centre will welcome its first visitors, who will come in to inject illegally-bought heroin or cocaine under medical supervision.

The centre is based on Hunter Street in Glasgow's east end, where there is a high population of users who take drugs in public.

READ MORE: FIRST LOOK: Inside the UK's only safe drugs consumption room

Funded by £2.3million of Scottish Government cash, its aim is to reduce fatal and non fatal overdoses, drug-related harm and to reduce littered needles and public drug-use.

Similarly, the facility will act as an initial stepping stone into wider health and social care services, including rehabilitation.

However, with only 23 abstinence-based rehabilitation beds directly funded by Glasgow's Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), there are concerns about whether it will be accessible.

'A useful palliative care project'

FAVOR CEO, Annemarie Ward, told {{stationNews}} she believes the focus should be getting people clean and sober.

She said: "I think this is an admission of failure from Scotland's addiction experts.

"I think it's a useful palliative care project for people the system has given up on - but we haven't given up on them.

"It would work for people if these so-called safe spaces to refer people onto existed, but they don't.

"We've got 23 rehab beds for Glasgow. The argument that this is a stepping stone onto other services which can help people get well is dishonest and I don't know how to put it in any other term.

"If these recovery services are not accessible or available, I think that needs to be called out."

The 23 residential beds commissioned by the HSCP are both in Crossreach and Phoenix Futures - and refers specifically to rehabilitation beds - not including beds spot purchased by the partnership, stabilisation or detox beds.

READ MORE: John Swinney: Drugs consumption room marks 'significant step forward'

'We need to keep these people alive'

However, Glasgow City Council's convenor for addiction services, Councillor Allan Casey, argues that not everyone who comes through the doors of The Thistle will be ready for abstinence-based recovery.

He said: "What we need to do is keep these people alive, because they need to be as safe as possible before they start moving into that process of recovery.

"Each of these people will be at different stages of their recovery, if that's what it is they want to do.

"We need to be agile to respond to that, and we do a lot of pre-habilitation with assessments to make sure people are actually ready.

"Clearly if there need to be more beds, I'll always make the case that we need more investment whether that be in rehab, or indeed, further harm prevention methods.

"But one doesn't go without the other - I think there needs to be a comprehensive package and this has been the missing piece of the jigsaw."

Campaigner Peter Krykant has long called for harm reduction measures like this to be put front and centre - even starting his own safe drugs consumption out the back of a van in 2020.

But, he said it would be a mistake to link the consumption room with recovery: "This is a consumption site - it's not about a stepping stone to rehab or recovery.

"If we try and use these as a stepping stone and we have people trying to direct addicts into abstinence recovery or 12-step meetings, they just won't go. It's as simple as that."

Law enforcement

The Lord Advocate has been clear that although it is not in the public interest to prosecute people for using illegal substances in the facility - it remains a crime to possess drugs.

Dorothy Bain KC, said: “This policy is an extension of the principles of diversion from prosecution.

"That is a process by which the procurator fiscal can refer a case to a local authority or other identified agency as a means of addressing underlying causes of offending.

“In diverting cases we aim to break cycles of harm and reduce the impact of crime on communities.

"I am satisfied that the Glasgow facility can provide a way for support services to engage with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“I understand that this policy may be a source of anxiety for some who live and work near the facility.

"The policy is very narrow and does not mean other offending will be tolerated. Supply offences are not included and Police Scotland will enforce these, and other crimes, as they always have.”

Councillor Casey added: "There won't be a radius around the building where you have free reign to do what you want.

"It doesn't mean if someone is searched a couple of miles down the road and they're found to be in possession of drugs they can say they're coming here. That's not how it'll work."

Future pilots

The Health Secretary has said he would be open to considering more drug consumption rooms in other parts of Scotland if this pilot is successful.

Neil Gray MSP said: "This is the first - I don't want it to be the last.

"The success of it will be the measure as to whether we see others opening elsewhere, but we will obviously take consideration of proposals that come from other parts of the country where something like this could help to make a difference."

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