Scotland's top prosecutor paves way for more hard drug 'shooting galleries' for junkies despite claims pilot site has fuelled crime and used needle littering
Scotland's top prosecutor today paved the way for more 'shooting galleries' to be set up to allow drug addicts to inject heroin and cocaine without fear of arrest.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC told MPs there was 'no reason' why more consumption rooms could not be created, after a three-year pilot scheme was launched in Glasgow.
The Thistle centre opened in January after the Lord Advocate issued a statement making clear it would not be in the public interest to prosecute those using it for possession of drugs.
Scotland has the highest rate of drugs deaths in Europe, with fatalities rising by 12 per cent in a year to 1,172 drug-related deaths in 2023, of which 246 were in Glasgow.
But the centre has been blamed it for a rise in crime and drugs paraphernalia littering the streets.
Residents of the Calton area of the city said the clinic had led to a growing number of needles left in the streets and an influx of users travelling in from other parts of the city.
Asked if the Thistle's three-year remit could be extended, Ms Bain said that if the situation remained 'compelling, as it is at the moment' then this could be considered.
Asked by committee chair Patricia Ferguson if she would consider similar requests for such facilities to be set up by other local authorities, she replied: 'Any other proposal of the type we got in this case would be considered in the same way.'
However, she said: 'I haven't received any other proposals.'
In March it was revealed there had been more than 1,000 visits to the Thistle by addicts.
The centre had seen 17 overdoses since it opened, according to service manager Lynn Macdonald, some of which she said would have resulted in death had staff not stepped in.
The centre was established in a bid to stem the number of drug deaths in Scotland by offering a safe place to inject as well as referring users to support services.
However, Ms Macdonald said none of the users have asked for a rehab referral.
Speaking in London today, Ms Bain said: 'I think I would have to be guided by the experts in public health as to whether or not they considered it to be a success.
'I am not a doctor, I am not an expert on drug use, or drug disease. What I would do is take into account what the experts were reporting about the impact of the facility.'
She added that there would be a 'rigorous evaluation' of the Thistle centre – which is the first such facility of its kind in the UK.
The Lord Advocate told the MPs that the statement of prosecution policy for the Thistle had been made 'on the basis of expert, factual evidence and statistical features of drug deaths in Scotland'.
She added that the area where the centre is based is one where there were 'particular issues around open drug use', adding that this had an impact on both the local community and businesses in the area.
Ms Bain said: 'It was a focused area in Glasgow where it seemed to be a very dense problem.'
Adding that 'all these features led into the ultimate decision that was made', the Lord Advocate continued: 'There would be no reason why we couldn't make the same sort of assessment in relation to another such facility, so long as it was underpinned by the very strong evidence base we were given in order to make the decision for the Thistle centre.'
In March, Allan Casey, Glagsow City Councils' addiction services convener, told the committee there is a need for more facilities like the Thistle in both Scotland and across the UK.
The safer consumption room was only established after a lengthy campaign, with Mr Casey saying to the MPs: 'We have managed to do it in Glasgow but we know safe consumption rooms are needed, we need more of them in Scotland and across the UK as well.'
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