The UK’s first legal drugs consumption room has opened its doors in Glasgow today.
Named The Thistle Centre, the space is designed to provide drug users with a safe place to take substances like heroin and cocaine under medical supervision in a clean and hygienic environment.
From Monday, the centre - which is based on Hunter Street in the east end of the city - will be open from 9am to 9pm, 365 days a year.
Speaking during a tour of the facility, First Minister John Swinney said: “I hope it will help us to reduce drugs deaths in Scotland and to help people to find a different route in their lives.
“We will evaluate the effectiveness of this particular intervention to determine what progress is achieved as a consequence of it, what impact it has had, and to learn the lessons from it.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray added: “I hope that this will be another tool in our box in reducing the harm and reducing the level of drug-related deaths that we see in Scotland, and that the pilot will be successful."Drug consumption room ‘significant step forward’ in tackling deaths – Swinney
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She explained that people will come through reception where they will be asked what drugs they will be using.
They will choose the size of needle and syringe and be shown to one of eight booths for injecting.
The nursing staff on-site cannot administer the drugs but will supervise and be ready should any medical complications arise.
Each person will have a tray with a needle, syringe, acid, water and a spoon for preparing the drug and a pre-injection swab for cleaning.
Each booth has a sealed sharps bin to safely dispose of the needle.
After injecting they move to a recovery space with comfortable chairs, again under supervision with equipment available to the staff if they need to intervene.
The third area is the café area, where people can stay a bit longer, and is where it is hoped staff will be able to engage with people to offer any other services they might need.
Councillors and health professionals have praised the facility and called for the rollout of more services across the city.
Meanwhile, Councillor Allan Casey, Glasgow City Council convener for addictions services said he was “hugely relieved to get it over the line after 10 years of hard work”.
While there is a debate about whether more resources should be directed to services like residential rehab to get people drug-free he said a range of services is needed.
He said: “This is not a silver bullet but a massive leap forward.
“It's not about one or the other, we have to invest in both. A network of drug consumption facilities and a network of rehab.”
There have been some concerns from local people and businesses about the possible impact of the centre with people worried about an influx of people who use drugs.
However, those in charge of it say the people expected to use the facility are already in the area.
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Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has called on the Scottish Government to roll out a network of safe drug consumption centres.
He said: “I welcome the opening of the Glasgow facility. Support for facilities such as this has been Liberal Democrat policy for many years, long before a consensus emerged in their favour, and I am glad that forward-thinking approach has finally become a reality."
Gillian Mackay MSP, Scottish Greens' health spokesperson, said: “This is a crucial milestone.
"This space will allow for safer consumption for those with active addiction. By reducing overdose risks and drug-related harms, it will save lives."
She added: “People battling with addiction deserve our empathy and support to recover and stay recovered. We must break the stigma around addiction, and treat it like the public health crisis that it is."
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