Statement from Kirsten Horsburgh CEO Scottish Drugs Forum.
The UK’s first official drug consumption room, The Thistle, has held a formal launch event at its Glasgow premises.
Scottish Drugs Forum has long advocated for such services and welcomes this development.
Over eight years since The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended that such services should be considered and a NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde report recommended such a service for the city, the service has opened at Hunter Street. What a journey!
It is for us all to consider why it has taken so long to deliver a service for which there is an obvious local need, which is based firmly in established evidence, and in the context of both a national public health emergency and a National Mission.
However, today, we should celebrate with colleagues across the city, the country and the UK that this service has been opened. It will be welcomed by the people who will use it. I have visited these services across the world and have been struck by the commonalities between them – safer communities and a progressive, compassionate approach to drug use providing people with a place of connection and hope.
We often hear the negatively framed question ‘what message are we sending out?’ by introducing this service. But what is the message that has been sent to people who are forced to inject drugs in outdoor spaces hiding from the public and the police in all weathers in unsanitary conditions? It’s inhumane.
The message that we’ll be sending to people who use drugs in Glasgow City now? You matter. Your safety, comfort, health and well-being matter. Other people care about what you want to prioritise for yourself. You deserve respect and dignity and that is available to you here and now.
I could talk all day about the evidence for these services, but the proof will always be in the results for the people who use them.
Everyone involved should be congratulated for their tenacity and resolve in getting this over the line, which marks a significant step forward in prioritising public health, reducing harm and providing support to those in need. SDF is pleased to have been able to help advocate and support the introduction of the first official drug consumption room. The door is now open; this sets a powerful example for such services to open across Scotland in whatever context or format will best support local people.
May this pioneering effort inspire a broader shift toward policies that prioritise care, compassion, and a healthier future for all.
You can listen to our episode of ‘Drugs Uncut’ where we were joined by Dr Saket Priyadarshi, clinical lead of Glasgow’s treatment services and Gillian Ferguson co-ordinator of Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership – the local commissioning and co-ordinating body – to discuss the background to delivering the UK’s first drug consumption room – the issues it will address; how it has been designed and delivered and how its impacts will be evaluated.