‘Courageous' drug policy campaigner Peter Krykant found dead aged 48

Independent

21 hours ago

Peter Krykant, the campaigner who risked arrest to blaze a trail for safer drug consumption facilities in Scotland, has died at the age of 48.
The activist became a public figure in 2020 after creating and operating the UK's first unofficial overdose prevention service in Glasgow using a repurposed van, in a bid to alleviate the drug deaths crisis still claiming lives in Scotland and the wider UK.
Operating for nine months, the service – which offered drug users in the city a sanitary and supervised alternative to consuming drugs alone in the street or at home – oversaw nearly 900 injections, successfully intervening in all nine overdoses that occurred, a study found.
These lifesaving facilities have long been rejected by Westminster, despite being used in close to 20 countries worldwide, and Krykant was arrested in 2020 for his efforts to prevent overdoses and reduce the spread of bloodborne viruses – with the charges later dropped.
In the wake of Krykant's activism, however, Scotland's lord advocate intervened in 2023 to say that such prosecutions 'would not be in the public interest'. As a result, the UK government relented that it would not block such services in Scotland, as pressure mounted on Holyrood to take more radical steps to save lives.
The UK's only safer drug consumption facility, The Thistle, opened in the East End of Glasgow earlier this year.
In its first seven weeks of opening, The Thistle was used more than 1,000 times by 143 individuals, with a number of medical emergencies managed over that period.
But while many campaigners credit Krykant with paving the way for this lifesaving service and helping to pile pressure on Holyrood to prioritise tackling the crisis, the campaigner would later say that it had taken a toll on his own wellbeing.
'It took somebody ruining their life for them [politicians] to say they could do something about it [the drugs crisis], and that person was me,' Krykant told author Dr Kojo Koram in January, adding: 'I'm not in a good place, now. And that all stems from when I took the decision to go out and run that van.'
After running his facility for nine months in Glasgow without funding or official permission, Krykant donated the vehicle, which was later upgraded to a repurposed ambulance, to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, which took it around the UK.
Krykant would later stand in the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections as an independent candidate, and went on to work for the drug treatment charity Cranstoun, continuing to be a prominent voice globally in drug policy discussions.
Mr Krykant, who started taking drugs aged 11 and began to inject heroin at the age of 17, while also experiencing homelessness, stopped using drugs for 11 years. He would later say that the pressure of politics and his activism had caused him to relapse into using drugs.
He had been visiting London in the days before his death but had returned to his flat in Larbert, when friends became concerned about his wellbeing, the Daily Record reported.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 5.15pm on Monday, 9 June 2025, police attended an address in Graham Avenue, Larbert following a report of a concern for person.
'The body of a 48-year-old man was found within. His next of kin has been informed. A post mortem examination will be carried out in due course. The death is being treated as unexplained.'
Scotland's first minister John Swinney was among those to pay tribute to Krykant, saying: 'His powerful voice on drugs policy reform, in particular his tireless work to deliver safe consumption rooms, leaves an important legacy which will be remembered.'
Aamer Anwar, the lawyer who represented Krykant when he was arrested in 2020, described him as 'a one-man army, with a mission to save lives', adding: 'It was humbling to see him single-handedly fight to deliver the first safe consumption room for drugs in the UK.
'Since childhood he was driven by demons, but Peter was also a beautiful, kind and courageous man. He leaves behind his two boys whom he loved dearly and family and friends who will be utterly devastated.
'I hope with time they can find some comfort in that Peter will be at peace and his name will one day be remembered as a drugs campaigner decades ahead of his time.'
Journalist Dani Garavelli said: 'Peter Krykant kept all the lives being lost to drugs in the public eye [and] forced the Scottish government into action'. Noting that, without his efforts, The Thistle would not exist, the columnist added: 'It was a privilege to know him. I hope he's at peace.'
Ronnie Cowan, former SNP MP for Inverclyde, said: 'Peter Krykant dared to go where no politicians would. He led by example with great bravery and a tenacious enthusiasm. While we talked and people died, Peter acted. I was proud to support his DCR and only wish we could have done more.'