Latest news with #ThistleCentre
STV News
4 days ago
- Health
- STV News
Needle bins installed near drug consumption room after 'dumping ground' concerns
Needle bins have been installed near the UK's first drug consumption room in Glasgow after residents claimed the site had turned into a 'dumping ground'. Residents of the city's East End say their streets have been littered with waste in the months since the consumption room opened. People living in the Calton area gathered last month to discuss the impact on their streets in the five months since the Thistle Centre opened its doors. They said there has been a stark rise in evidence of drug dealing, the discarding of drug paraphernalia and dangerous anti-social behaviour since January. Glasgow City Council Needle bins have been installed in Glasgow They called upon First Minister John Swinney to visit the area. The drug consumption room opened in January 2025, marking a landmark change in the approach to drug policy in Scotland. The three-year pilot project was granted the go-ahead after Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC stated that prosecuting those using the centre for drug possession would not be in the public interest. The centre allows drug users to take illegal substances with trained medical staff on hand to deal with emergencies. The facility has been used more than 2,500 times since opening. Glasgow City Council says it has begun work to clear the area and has installed needle bins following concerns being raised. A spokesperson said: 'In response to local concerns we have been clearing a public injecting site on derelict land in Calton. 'Discarded needles safely removed and disposed of, overgrowth cut back and other waste lifted. 'Needle bins also installed at sites where we know public injecting takes place.' In response to local concerns we have been clearing a public injecting site on derelict land in needles safely removed and disposed of, overgrowth cut back and other waste lifted. Needle bins also installed at sites where we know public injecting takes place. — Glasgow City Council (@GlasgowCC) June 6, 2025 Police Scotland said it was aware of 'long-standing issues' in the area and said its officers continue to work to address the concerns. Chief inspector Max Shaw added: 'Police Scotland has a duty to respond to the needs of our communities. 'We remain committed to reducing the harm associated with problematic substance use and addiction and our approach to any initiative, aimed at tackling these harms, will be to establish how best we can support it within the confines of the law. 'We continue to engage with members of the local community to discuss any concerns and would encourage reporting of incidents to Police Scotland.' STV News The facility has been used more than 2,500 times since opening. Scotland's health secretary has defended the safe consumption room, saying the Thistle had saved lives. Neil Gray also said that similar facilities around the world had reduced levels of public drug consumption and publicly discarded drug-related litter. 'Almost 250 people have used the Thistle since it opened in mid-January with around 2,000 injecting episodes – helping to protect people against blood-borne viruses and taking used needles off the streets, ensuring they're safely disposed of within the service,' he said. 'I recognise local people's concerns and Glasgow partners are addressing them through outreach work, ongoing needle uplift operations, and plans to expand public needle disposal bins. 'Glasgow Health and Social Care partnership will continue to engage with the local community and a comprehensive independent evaluation will examine the service's impact.' STV News Residents of Calton have called for First Minister John Swinney to visit the area. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
No changes to drug laws even if consumption room is a success, says minister
The UK Government will not change drug laws to allow more safe consumption rooms, even if a Glasgow-based pilot is a success, a minister has said. The Thistle Centre opened earlier this year after a decade-long wrangle between the UK and Scottish governments, with the latter seeking an exemption from the Misuse of Drugs Act to ensure users of the facility are not prosecuted. Eventually, Scotland's top law officer ruled it would not be 'in the public interest' to seek to prosecute users of the service, which allows people to inject drugs, paving the way for it to open. Appearing before the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster on Wednesday, Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson said the law will not be changed. Asked if the Government could rethink that stance if the Thistle proves to be a success in driving down Scotland's high drug death rates, the minister said: 'We look at evidence, we have experts, we have the ACMD (advisory council on the misuse of drugs) who offer advice, we look at evidence all the time. 'But I just really want to be clear with you, we do not support drug consumption facilities, it's not our policy and we will not be amending the Misuse of Drugs Act.' Liberal Democrat MP Angus MacDonald said his 'jaw just dropped open' at the minister's statement. 'If the Thistle turns out to be a great success within a year, I would be so excited about rolling that out everywhere,' he said. He added that it is 'the most wonderful way' of stopping people dying and can act as a pathway to rehabilitation. After the minister repeated the Government's stance, Mr MacDonald said: 'You're basically condemning thousands of people to death, in my opinion.' But Dame Diana rejected his assertion, saying: 'I don't accept that, with the greatest of respect. 'This is not the only thing that we can do to deal with drug misuse and I think the UK Government is very clear that there are a number of measures that can be used.' Labour MP Chris Murray also pointed out that it was Dame Diana who chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee which in 2023 released a report supporting a drug consumption room pilot. Picking up on that point, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn questioned what evidence she had to have changed her view. 'Mr Flynn, you're a very experienced member of this House and you know that when a Member of Parliament becomes a minister, their personal views are irrelevant because they are there to represent the views of the Government,' she said. 'The recommendation that was made in that Home Affairs Select Committee report in the previous parliament was based on a group of politicians, cross-party, including your own party, that sat down and reached those recommendations together. 'That is very different to a Government policy that I am setting out today.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Labour refuses to back controlled drug use rooms despite ongoing pilot
The UK Government has confirmed that it will not alter drug laws to permit new legal consumption rooms, regardless of the success of a pilot program in Glasgow. The Thistle Centre, which opened earlier this year, was the result of a decade-long disagreement between the UK and Scottish governments. The Scottish government sought an exemption from the Misuse of Drugs Act to protect the facility's users from prosecution. Scotland's top law officer eventually determined that prosecuting users of the service, which provides a safe environment for drug injection, would not be "in the public interest," clearing the way for its opening. Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson has said that the law will not be changed to permit facilities like it as she appeared before the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster on Wednesday. Asked if the Government could rethink that stance if the Thistle proves to be a success in driving down Scotland's high drug death rates, the minister said: 'We look at evidence, we have experts, we have the ACMD (advisory council on the misuse of drugs) who offer advice, we look at evidence all the time. 'But I just really want to be clear with you, we do not support drug consumption facilities, it's not our policy and we will not be amending the Misuse of Drugs Act.' Liberal Democrat MP Angus MacDonald said his 'jaw just dropped open' at the minister's statement. 'If the Thistle turns out to be a great success within a year, I would be so excited about rolling that out everywhere,' he said. He added that it is 'the most wonderful way' of stopping people dying and can act as a pathway to rehabilitation. After the minister repeated the Government's stance, Mr MacDonald said: 'You're basically condemning thousands of people to death, in my opinion.' But Dame Diana rejected his assertion, saying: 'I don't accept that, with the greatest of respect. 'This is not the only thing that we can do to deal with drug misuse and I think the UK Government is very clear that there are a number of measures that can be used.' Labour MP Chris Murray also pointed out that it was Dame Diana who chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee which in 2023 released a report supporting a drug consumption room pilot. Picking up on that point, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn questioned what evidence she had to have changed her view. 'Mr Flynn, you're a very experienced member of this House and you know that when a Member of Parliament becomes a minister, their personal views are irrelevant because they are there to represent the views of the Government,' she said. 'The recommendation that was made in that Home Affairs Select Committee report in the previous parliament was based on a group of politicians, cross-party, including your own party, that sat down and reached those recommendations together. 'That is very different to a Government policy that I am setting out today.'
Glasgow Times
28-05-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow drug consumption room under scrutiny at Westminster
The facility has been at the centre of controversy in recent weeks, with residents nearby complaining they have seen an increase in drug taking and dealing in the surrounding streets since it opened. The Thistle Centre in Hunter Street, Calton, opened in January and operates 12 hours a day from 9am to 9pm. READ NEXT:'Come up here' and say that: Anas Sarwar challenges Nigel Farage Since it began accepting people who come and inject their drugs, it has been used thousands of times. In total, 246 individuals have used the centre 2691 times, with 2010 injecting episodes. Staff have dealt with 30 medical emergencies between opening in January and the end of April. The most common drug is cocaine. In April, it was used in 68% of the visits, with heroin used in 24% and a mixture of both in 8%. (Image: Newsquest) The Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster is carrying out an inquiry into the centre, which is a pilot for three years. Next week the MPs on the committee will question Diana Johnson, UK minister for policing and crime and Neil Gray, Scotland's health secretary. READ NEXT:'Deadline looms this week for views on major Glasgow bus survey The committee is expected to ask Gray about the role the Scottish Government played in the opening of the facility, the legal risks it faces and potential exemptions which could be needed if the service were to expand. (Image: PA) He is also likely to be asked about whether more facilities are needed across Scotland and the future of the Glasgow centre's funding. Questions for Johnson are expected to focus on the UK Government's position on the pilot, what role the UK Government could have in its operation and the potential for more facilities.
Scottish Sun
26-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Scotland's fix room bosses post adverts at needle dumping grounds as locals say community is now ‘warzone'
BOSSES at Scotland's fix room are advertising their services at needle dumping grounds as locals again blast authorities over claims their community has been turned into a "warzone". Posters have been put up urging users to attend the controversial Thistle Centre rather than inject on the street. 3 Residents living near the The Thistle in Glasgow are outraged over a spike in needle litter in the area Credit: PA 3 A patch of waste ground in the Calton has become a drug den filled with needles and other drug paraphernalia Credit: Tom Farmer 3 Laminated posters for The Thistle have been stuck up around the area Credit: Tom Farmer And new bins to discard used needles have also been installed by officials in Glasgow's Calton area where locals are up in arms over the state of the area. The Thistle aims to tackle the shocking number of drug deaths in Scotland but has been criticised by people living in the area who have complained about junkie waste in surrounding streets and an increase in antisocial behaviour. Former council worker Vanessa Paton told Sky News: 'It is getting worse. The new room has appeared, and the problems have escalated with it. "It's a no-go warzone every day and night. The area's becoming a toilet. "That is the harsh reality of it.' And local resident Angela Scott said: 'It's become a lot worse. It's heightened. "I'm scared that if I am picking up my dog's dirt, am I going to prick a needle? "Am I going to end up with an infection that a lot of drug addicts tend to have because they are sharing needles? "I don't want to pick up something infectious.' The facility was opened in January this year and welcomed almost 20-users a day during an 'intense' first week of operation. Neil Gray slammed for dismissing drugs litter fears next to Scotland's fix room as 'lies' as footage shows dumped needles and burnt spoons just yards from shoppers SNP ministers approved the centre in 2023, having insisted radical action was needed to tackle the drug deaths crisis in Scotland, with 833 suspected drug deaths between January and September last year. But The Scottish Sun revealed earlier this month how worried nursery staff close to the site are having to scour for needles before allowing children to play. Inspector Max Shaw, from Police Scotland, said: 'We are aware of long-standing issues in the area and continue to work closely in partnership to address these concerns.' Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells said: 'Out-of-touch SNP politicians are arrogantly dismissing the concerns of local people, who are being left to clean up dirty needles in a desperate bid to keep their streets safe. 'Their flagship drug consumption room is making life a misery for local residents, yet the nationalists are pretending everything's fine. 'We repeatedly warned that pinning their hopes on state-sponsored drug-taking, at huge cost to our overstretched NHS, isn't the silver bullet to tackle this crisis, but in typical SNP fashion they ploughed ahead regardless. 'Scotland already has the worst drugs death rate in Europe – and, since The Thistle opened, suspected fatalities are rising. The SNP's reckless experiment is turning parts of Glasgow into no-go zones. 'Their focus needs to shift from facilitating drug-taking to treatment. John Swinney needs to get off the fence and back the game-changing Right to Recovery bill, which would enshrine in law the right of every Scot to receive the life-saving treatment they need, including residential rehab.' Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government have been contacted for comment.
