A safe drug consumption facility is set to be trialled in Glasgow after the lord advocate said she did not believe it would be in the public interest to prosecute users of drug consumption rooms for simple possession offences.
The announcement by Scotland's chief law officer comes after Glasgow City Council voted to formally support the decriminalisation of personal drug use. It is understood to be the first major UK local authority to do so.
Glasgow City Council’s convener for workforce, homelessness and addictions, Cllr Alan Casey, said: ‘Glasgow has a broad consensus that a consumption facility is part of the way forward.
‘We have the democratic mandate, the public support and now the legal, expert and clinical capacity to deliver it.’
Cllr Casey said a drug consumption facility was not a ‘silver bullet’ to addiction issues but international evidence suggested it was the most impactful intervention to reduce harm and improve health.
The consumption facility will provide a space for the council’s partner agencies to engage people with health and social care, including addictions treatment and homelessness.
The Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, of which the council is a member, has worked for years on plans for the consumption facility.
The plans will be brought to the next meeting of the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board for a decision on next steps for a pilot scheme.
