Glasgow’s drug consumption room is ready to open after years of dialogue and political wrangling.
The facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK, will allow people to inject and inhale drugs in a safer, controlled environment, with hopes that it will cut down the amount of people taking substances on streets, as drug death stats remain high in Scotland.
Glasgow Live was given access to the Hunter Street facility, named The Thistle, ahead of its long-awaited opening on Monday (January 13).
How does the facility work?
Simply, anyone can enter the safer consumption rooms. Users enter at the reception and are not obliged to give out their personal details. The Thistle will operate daily from 9am to 9pm, 365 days of the year.
They are then taken to the “using space”. Here, they are taken to a booth with a mirror where they are provided with clean equipment to take the substance under the supervision of nurses. The person must administer the drug themselves, and staff cannot directly help with this.
From there, people are taken to a recovery area, where they can sit under supervision while under the influence. After, they can go through to a sitting room where they can have coffee or something to eat until they feel well enough to leave.
DRUGS CONSUMPTION ROOM SCOTLAND ** STRICTLY EMBARGOED FOR Midnight on Thursday to be used on Friday ** Pictured – Opening to media of new Drugs consumption Room in Hunter Street Glasgow – GV of Smoking Are outside Pic Ross Turpie Daily Record / Sunday Mail
(Image: Ross Turpie/Daily Record)
There is also a private smoking area outside where facility users can vape or smoke tobacco products while recovering. People are then free to leave and come back when they want.
The centre will also provide help and support for those looking to tackle their addiction.
Why is it needed?
Currently, Glasgow has the highest number of suspected drug deaths in Scotland. The city had 186 last year, despite record levels of funding for from the Scottish Government.
The hope, is that by providing somewhere safe to go, people taking drugs can be given the support while they are at their most vulnerable, with an estimated 400-500 people injecting drugs in the city centre regularly.
Dr Saket Priyadarshi told Glasgow Live: “People are currently injecting drugs in very unsanitary outdoor places like car parks, streets, public toilets and they can use this space which is hygienic, well-lit, warm and they can receive support if the need it.
DRUGS CONSUMPTION ROOM SCOTLAND ** STRICTLY EMBARGOED FOR Midnight on Thursday to be used on Friday ** Pictured – Opening to media of new Drugs consumption Room in Hunter Street Glasgow – Recovery area canteen Pic Ross Turpie Daily Record / Sunday Mail
(Image: Ross Turpie/Daily Record)
“This service is the result of a recommendation that came from a formal health needs analysis of people which inject drugs in public places.
“That itself was the result from an outbreak of HIV in that population. When we look at the literature internationally at what we can do, we say facilities like this in other places of the world have shown to reduce the risk of blood born virus transmission and improve the general health of the population we’re trying to support.
“Across the world, the evidence is if you locate the service in the right place (where the problem is) people will use the service.”
Is the NHS giving people drugs?
Staff at the facility will not provide service users with illegal substances or directly inject them with drugs either. Staff will help ensure that the drugs are taken safely and will be there to give advice but that is as far as the help can go.
DRUGS CONSUPTION ROOM SCOTLAND ** STRICTLY EMBARGOED FOR Midnight on Thursday to be used on Friday ** Pictured – Opening to media of new Drugs consumption Room in Hunter Street Glasgow – Lynn Macdonald Facility manager Pic Ross Turpie Daily Record / Sunday Mail
(Image: Ross Turpie/Daily Record)
Lynn MacDonald, service manager, said: “We can’t physically touch the drugs, we aren’t hands on with any of it.
“What we can do is stand back, watch, and say to someone injecting ‘don’t go in that angle, try this way’ so we can describe what they should be doing and tell them when to be extra careful and what equipment they should use.
“Obviously, in a medical emergency, we will be hands-on.”
Isn’t drug use illegal?
Under UK law, the consumption of drugs is illegal. However, people consuming drugs in the consumption room will not be prosecuted. The Lord Advocate confirmed this would not be in the public interest.
And Councillor Allan Casey, city convener for Workforce + Homelessness & Addiction Services, believes this facility will simply be taking people who are already using drugs in public off the street.
The recovery area canteen.
(Image: Ross Turpie/Daily Record)
He told Glasgow Live: “I’ve done a lot of walkabouts in the local community, and you can see the drug-related paraphernalia like discarded needles and the scale of it is really significant. That’s why it’s so important to have this facility but also to have it in an area where there is a problem.
“You find it difficult, as a citizen of Glasgow, not to know someone who has been impacted by drugs – and I’ve got that personal experience, I’ve lost people who have been lost to preventable overdose.
“It would be my hope and belief that we can expand this service in Glasgow, across Scotland and across the UK.”
How is it safer?
Substance users are provided with clean equipment in a hygienic environment and where they can’t share needles. This is a total contrast to injecting in the open space, where it is cold, unsanitary, and where needles may not be single use.
Anyone who overdoses can receive instant medical attention from trained professionals if they need it, and can be taken through to a private “health room”. There is currently no drug testing facility at the centre, but something bosses hope to have in the city in the near future.
The vein finder helps users to inject in a healthy vein.
(Image: Ross Turpie/Daily Record)
Service manager Lynn added: “If someone is on the street, the chances are they’ve learnt from someone else and that can lead to bad hobbits. They might not realise there is a safer vein to use, so we have vein finders – that’s a device that shows healthy ones.
“All our staff are trained in emergencies so if someone overdoses we can respond really quickly. We’ll be able to start by giving people oxygen which is more comfortable for them than Naloxone, which we can also give here.
“It’s safer and more comfortable for them and will reduce the need for ambulances and the need for people to go to hospital.”
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