A member of staff demonstrates a vein-finding device at The Thistle drugs consumption room (Image: PA)
The UK’s first “consumption room” where addicts can take illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine will open on Monday but has been condemned as a “disaster waiting to happen”.
The Thistle Centre in Glasgow will be open daily in a bid to prevent overdoses and stop the spread of viruses including HIV.
Sophia Worringer of the Centre for Social Justice warned against the introduction of “shooting galleries” and denounced the Scottish move as a “worrying step” towards normalising the use of hard drugs.
Scotland last year recorded the worst rate of drug deaths in Europe, with fatalities soaring from 244 in 1996 to 1,172 in 2023.
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Ms Worringer said: “In the absence of a comprehensive rehabilitation programme, the £2.3million cost of Glasgow’s new drug room is not the best use of limited public health funds as it does nothing to address the root causes of addiction. It will be the most disadvantaged who will lose out if drug taking becomes more normalised and the introduction of these so-called ‘shooting galleries’ is a worrying step towards normalisation.”
She warned that based on global research and what she had seen in the United States the new facility is “a disaster waiting to happen”. Places which have liberalised drug policy, she added, “have not seen the promised results in tackling addiction”.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Drug consumption rooms condone drug use and encourage the continued supply of illicit drugs. This is not in the best interest of people addicted to illegal substances, nor the general public.
“Scotland has the highest levels of drugs deaths in Europe. Instead of helping addicts take their heroin in a comfy room, they should focus on getting people off drugs in the first place.
“The in Scotland should focus on delivering better rehabilitation facilities for those addicted to illicit drugs to help them to safely stop using, instead of permitting this dangerous behaviour.”
A UK government spokesperson insisted there was no intention to follow Scotland’s lead in England, saying: “This government has no plans to introduce consumption rooms. We will also continue to take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers in our society, including drug misuse, and better support people to live longer, healthier lives.”
Scottish First Minister John Swinney insists that while the centre is “not a silver bullet” it is a “significant step forward”.