In a project that is the first of its kind in the UK, drug users in Glasgow will soon be allowed to take illegal substances in a ‘drug room’. Users will be legally permitted to take drugs like heroin and cocaine in a hygienic environment and with medical supervision.
All of which, on the face of it, might sound a little strange. After all, aren’t illegal drugs banned for a reason?
But there’s a lot of sense behind the move – and it has ties to drug liberalisation schemes around the world. The idea is that by providing safe, hygienic environments for users to take illegal substances, there will be fewer HIV infections and other drug-related harms. The public will also apparently be much less exposed to needles and drug equipment.
The room will be on Glasgow’s Hunter Street and is expected to cost £2.3 million. While yearly drug deaths in Scotland aren’t as high as they were at their peak (1,339 in 2020), just over 1,000 still died drug-related deaths in 2022.
The hope is that openness about drug-taking will lead to more focus on treatment and prevention, and therefore save lives.
According to the BBC, Dr Saket Priyadarshi, associate medical director of Glasgow alcohol and drug recovery services, said the project would ‘reduce drug-related harms’ and provide individuals with ‘opportunities for treatment, care and recovery’.
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