Glasgow safer drug consumption facility must be considered on its merits, says Scottish Affairs Committee

Scottish MPs have called on the UK Government not to pre-judge the impact of the UK's only safer drug consumption room.

According to a report by the Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC), the government must not make up its mind on the future of the facility beyond the three-year pilot before the expert evaluation. 

The report, which examines the legal and policy challenges involved in establishing and operating the first official safer drug consumption facility in the UK, The Thistle, argues that UK legislation should create a new legal framework to properly operate and regulate the site and any potential future facilities, if this one is found to be effective. 

The facility was opened in January after the Lord Advocate announced a change in policy which meant users would not be prosecuted for possessing illegal drugs while there. At the time, the UK Government said it would not interfere in the Glasgow project but said it had no plans to introduce other consumption rooms.  

The policing and crime minister told the committee that the UK Government does not support the use of safer drug consumption facilities and would not make legislative changes to facilitate them, seemingly irrespective of whether The Thistle was found to be effective.  

The SAC has urged the government to adopt an evidence-based approach to problem drug use and raised concerns that it might approach the evaluation of the facility having already made up its mind.    

The report also states that funding for Glasgow’s pilot safer drug consumption facility must not come at the expense of other recovery and harm reduction facilities. 

This has been echoed by MPs, who warn that the implementation of The Thistle should not come at the cost of funding current recovery services, stating that it is not an “either/or”. 

Instead, the report argues that The Thistle should be thought of as “one tool amongst many” to combat problem drug use, working with recovery services and other drug misuse interventions. 

The publication of the report comes two weeks after official figures indicated that Scotland has the highest rate of drug-related deaths per head of population anywhere in Europe. 

Figures published by National Records Scotland reported 1,017 drug-related deaths last year, 155 fewer than in 2023 and the lowest number since 2017. However, they remain proportionally higher than drug-related deaths in England and Wales. 

The SAC’s report acknowledged there is strong international evidence that safer drug consumption facilities can mitigate harms caused by public injection, which is particularly prominent in Glasgow, and relieve costs elsewhere in the health service. 

The committee has also noted it has heard concerns from people living in the local area around the pilot facility regarding concerns of drug litter and anti-social behaviour. 

The report has recommended that The Thistle develop a responsive communication strategy as soon as possible. 

Patricia Ferguson, chair of the SAC, said: “Scotland has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe. Without a doubt, this is the most pressing public health issue facing the nation, and things need to change urgently to stop more people dying.    

“The Thistle could be one way of helping Scotland do this. If the facility, after its three-year pilot, is shown to be effective at tackling drug-related harm, we’re urging the UK Government to follow the evidence and take the legislative action needed to create a proper legal framework that will ensure it can run and be regulated properly.    

“However, we also recognise that The Thistle is not a silver bullet. Our report emphasises that this pilot shouldn’t come at the cost of other recovery services – rather, they should operate in tandem to offer as much help as possible to people with problem drug use.”