A drug summit will be hosted in Glasgow by the Scottish Government, the day before the UK Government holds it’s own event in the city.

Joe Fitzpatrick, Public Health Minister, announced the date for the conference which he said would “inform the Scottish contribution” to the UK event.

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A model version of a Drug Consumption Room will be set up at the venue and training in the use of Naloxone which reverses the effect of an opioid overdose .

Mr Fitzpatrick said: ““What Scotland faces in terms of drug deaths is nothing short of a public health emergency. The UK event, while welcome, simply does not have the voices of people with lived experience in Scotland at its heart. We’ve pressed the UK Government to extend their event to accommodate this, but this has not yet been forthcoming.”

The event will be hosted jointly with Glasgow City Council.

The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council are at odds with the UK Government over permission for a drug consumption room.

The council and health board want to open one but the UK needs to change the law to give immunity form prosecution to allow illegal drugs to be taken .

Susan Aitken, council leader said: “The public health emergency facing the city is such, that no option to tackle the rise in drug deaths should be off the table.

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“Where we have the power to innovate, such as Scotland’s first Heroin Assisted Treatment programme, we do.

“Glasgow is ready to pilot a safer drug consumption facility. We know that it is an intervention which will help protect the public and help save lives.

We hope that a workable plan is an outcome of the summits taking place in the city.”