‘The missing jigsaw piece’: UK’s first illegal drugs room given the greenlight
Authorities in Glasgow have given the official go-ahead to open a consumption room in a bid to tackle the country’s drugs death.
On Wednesday morning a joint committee of NHS and council officials in Glasgow were brought into the limelight as they announced a consumption room will be opened to allow addicts to take their own drugs in a clean and safe environment under the supervision of health professionals.
The decision has not been taken lightly as ideas around the topic have been discussed for years but can finally now be piloted after Scotland’s most senior law officer confirmed users would not be prosecuted earlier this month.
‘All eyes are on Glasgow,’ said Allan Casey, Glasgow city council’s addictions convener. ‘We know from experience that networks of safe injecting facilities are what is needed, and we would be more than happy to work with other cities. I’m already having questions from different cities around the country looking to learn from us about opening one.’
Cllr Casey added the pilot was ‘the missing jigsaw piece in the full suite of services required to really make a difference in reducing drugs deaths in the city’.
Currently, Scotland’s chronic and epidemic drug fatality rates remain almost three times higher than for the UK as a whole. Glasgow city council’s area had the highest rate of drug misuse deaths in the country within the past four years.
However, although the new service should hopefully help addicts, Cllr Casey also acknowledged that funding would be needed to create other aids such as recovery cafes and residential rehabs.
Susanne Millar, chief officer for Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, has said she is ‘delighted’ by the recent decision, adding that global evidence for such a facility has been growing for a substantial amount of time and will continue to do so.
Despite receiving such a positive reaction from officials in Scotland, on Wednesday night England’s home secretary, told ITV: ‘My view is it’s the wrong policy and I don’t support the policy of drug consumption rooms. I don’t believe they deal with the root cause of addiction and drug dependency. So I would not support that policy.’
Ms Braverman’s view has suggested that such a facility may not be making an appearance in England for some time.
Image: GRAS GRÜN
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