Glasgow Drug Consumption Room waiting for government 'green light'

On Tuesday, Minister for Drug Policy, Angela Constance, said the government in Scotland was looking to approve consumption rooms even if the UK Government did not change the drug laws.

Now Mhairi Hunter, convenor of Health and Social Care in Glasgow, said: “We are ready to go as soon as we get the green light.”

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She said it already has approval from the council and health board and the funding is in place.

Once there is a guarantee from the Government that no one would be at risk of prosecution for allowing drugs to be taken on the premises, councillor Hunter said they can move to a formal consultation with local people and then open up.

She said there is community support and cross party support in the council.

Councillor Hunter said: “Glasgow is very well prepared to deliver a safe consumption/overdose prevention space as a central part of a continuum of services for drug users.

“We continue to develop our services, most recently with partnership working to develop drug-checking services.

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“But a safe consumption facility is a vital missing link, not only in terms of reducing fatalities – though this is vital – but in enabling those further away from treatment to connect with services in a safe and welcoming space.”

She said work has continued even though there was no approval either from the Scottish Government or change in law at UK level.

She added: “Glasgow’s Integration Joint Board has already approved plans in principle and allocated funding. Officers have continued to work on plans, despite the refusal of UK ministers to support them, including developing draft Standard Operating Procedures. We are ready to go as soon as we get the green light.”

She said the staff, the Integrated Joint Board, of the council and health board, and the trade unions need the assurance staff are not at risk of breaking the law.

Ms Hunter and councillor Allan Casey, have written to Angela Constance to let her know Glasgow is to and “stands ready to implement a safe consumption facility”.

In her statement to the Scottish Parliament Constance said on drug consumption rooms: “We are committed to implementing those, irrespective of the constitutional opportunities or the constitutional constraints that we face.”

Campaigners said any facility must come with access to other services straight away.

Annemarie Ward of Faces and Voices of Recovery (Favor) Scotland said: “In other cities across the world - people who use DCRs have access to a variety of different high quality services including proper rehab and mostly on the same day.

“This can’t be a vanity project in the town, DCRs have to be in communities where people are dying.”

Peter Krykant, an activist has been running an Overdose Prevention Site in Glasgow city centre from a converted ambulance.

He has operated most Fridays for the last year, supervising several injections a day and he has not been closed down or arrested under any drug laws.

He has intervened on several occasions to give naloxone and prevent potentially fatal overdoses.