The UK’s first legally sanctioned drug consumption room will open its doors to addicts on Monday – with the hope it will quickly lead to the roll-out of many more.
After a decade of political wrangling, The Thistle in Glasgow’s east end offered the press a sneak peek at the array of services available to those battling addiction.
As Scotland tries to turn around its drug death crisis – we are the worst nation in Europe by far – no one was claiming this NHS facility in Glasgow would bring overnight success.
But planning is under way to bring similar services to places like Dundee.
Opening of The Thistle – which can cater for 35 drug users at any one time – was only made possible after Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain announced no one using the service would be prosecuted for drug possession.
The decision came after a Daily Record campaign for such decriminalisation measures, as part of a broader appeal to treat addiction as a health issue instead of a criminal one.
Glasgow City Council’s drugs convener Allan Casey said the opening marks a historic moment, adding: “It’s a brilliant facility. I really do hope it will be the first of many facilities across Scotland and the UK.
“The Daily Record has campaigned for better treatment for addiction and this centre will do that.”
Casey said he was aware that some would see the sparkling £2.3million facilities as a poor use of money, given the financial crisis afflicting the NHS.
But he said: “From the outset, we have wanted to provide a place that’s as welcoming as any medical facility.
“Scotland’s drug deaths are far too high and we have never said this place would be a silver bullet.
“But it will save lives and we should look at it as an important piece of a jigsaw that has already been started – a piece that can connect users to other services and find a dignity in the way the services are
administered.”
The Thistle, on Hunter Street near The Barras market, has shower rooms, “chat rooms” with soft furnishings and eight injecting booths.
Clean needles are provided and nursing staff include those expert in blood-borne diseases, sexual health and mental health.
Homelessness advisers are also within reach and users are invited to spend time in the centre engaging with staff who can connect them to NHS facilities – in the hope it can lead to rehab or harm prevention. A smoking area has been created outside and health bosses are working towards a space indoors that would allow users to smoke heroin and crack cocaine.
The centre has borrowed from the experience of many other “safer drug consumption facilities” worldwide, from Europe to the US and Australia.
Almost 200 are now known to be up and running in 20 countries, none of whose drug problems are anywhere near the scale witnessed in Scotland.
Greater Glasgow NHS’s associate medical director Saket Priyardashi said he is aware that local opposition will always be likely but claims there has been a marked softening in attitudes in recent years.
He said: “I have personally met with many residents and business people, most of whom look forward to seeing benefits come from this facility.
“We have evaluation systems in place that involve the local community and we will publish results from this in due course.”
He added: “This has been a long and complicated journey, which is very well documented but I’m really delighted we’ve got here at last.” The charity Transform Drug Policy Foundation has warmly welcomed the centre, which they believe will lead to more such facilities in the UK.
Spokesman Martin Powell said he hopes there will be smaller sites to be offered where they are needed – such as homeless hotels.
He said: “If Westminster gets behind this approach, it will save potential grief for hundreds of families, and save costs to the health service.”
The clinic cost £2.3million to set up and the latest of many long delays was down to problems with water quality.
One aim of the service is to cut the number of fatal overdoses.
In 2023, there were 1172 drug deaths in Scotland, up 121 on the year before.
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