Glasgow must get the safer drug consumption room right, now it has the go-ahead to open a facility, said the councillor in charge of addictions policy.

A centre will be opened next year in the east end after health bosses approved the plan on Wednesday.

Allan Casey, councillor in charge of addictions policy, said he knows the city is putting itself in the spotlight.

The city has fought for the right to open a drug consumption room for more than five years,  in the face of rising drug overdose deaths and also initially to respond to an HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs.

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He said: “Glasgow has a huge responsibility to demonstrate this works here.

"We need to take it forward and get it right. All eyes are on Glasgow and we need to ensure this works.”

He said if it needs to be expanded after evaluation or more money is needed for other services then conversations will be had with government about funding.

Councillor Casey wants the facility up and running as soon as possible to begin to make a difference after years of waiting for legal barriers to be removed.

Following the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain, stating she would issue a policy statement that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute people for possession of drugs when using the centre, the Health and Social Care Partnership in the city has brought forward plans to get the centre ready and staff recruited.

Glasgow Times:

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Susanne Millar, HSCP Chief Officer, said it could be next summer when the doors are open.

She said: “It feels like a big day. There is still a lot of work and challenges ahead of us.

“We anticipate people are more likely to engage when they are in the safer drug consumption facility.

We have funding for co-location for a range of services, like homelessness housing and recovery services.”

The decision approves a pilot, which will be evaluated and

Saket Priyadarshi, Associate Medical Director and Senior Medical Officer, Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services, explained the need for the centre and why the location has been chosen,

He said the original work measured between 400 and 500 people injecting in public in the city centre and the area east of High Street.

Updates since then show that numbers have remained the same and could even have increased.

Dr Priyadarshi said: “Residents and businesses tell us it is not going away. When one site gets closed off another opens up. The case for responding is strong.

“The evidence from around the world tells us communities experience benefits.”

There will be eight booths, which he said is not very big compared to sites in other countries.

He said: “It’s unlikely to be large enough.”

He explained the service could be expanded to include more capacity and more services if evidence show there is a need.

A drug-checking service could be incorporated to

Also, facilities like an inhalation room could be added, if thought necessary and if laws, like the smoking ban, allow.