On October 21, the first official consumption room for illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine in the United Kingdom will open in Glasgow.
The Safer Drugs Consumption Facility on Hunter Street in the east of the city can accommodate up to 30 service users at a time.
At the facility, people can consume illegal drugs 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. under the supervision of clinical staff.
The opening date was confirmed after new data from the National Records of Scotland showed that the number of people who have died from drug abuse in the country has increased sharply.
The figures for 2023 show that 1,172 people died – 121 more than in the previous 12 months, an increase of 12%.
Allan Casey, head of Glasgow City Council’s homelessness and addiction services department, said the increase made it clear “that we are in a health emergency that requires radical action”.
He said the facility will help “reduce fatal and non-fatal overdoses” by providing a safe and clean place for drug use under the supervision of medical staff.
“Glasgow has well-established alcohol and drug rehabilitation services that work effectively with the high number of drug addicts in the city. However, people with problematic alcohol and drug use face significant challenges that pose significant risks to their health and wellbeing,” he said.
“It remains widely recognized that participating in a treatment program greatly improves a person’s chances of receiving the appropriate support mechanisms to help them initiate their recovery.
“The range of interventions and services we provide in the city are designed to help those most at risk and address the greatest harm we see among the most vulnerable drug users.”
The room has booths in which up to eight people can safely inject heroin or other drugs at the same time.
A proposal for a room for smoking illegal substances was removed from the original plans due to legal issues arising from Scottish non-smoking legislation and technical challenges with ventilation and filtration.
Last year, the Lord Advocate confirmed that it was not in the public interest to prosecute drug consumption room users for simple possession offences.
The facility is part of a wider Scottish Government initiative to tackle drug-related deaths, which claim more lives per capita than anywhere else in Europe.
It was agreed to provide up to £2.3 million per year for the pilot project.
