Latest news with #ThistleCentre
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Scottish drug deaths soar after SNP opens legalised heroin use room
Drug deaths in Scotland have surged by a third since the SNP's legalised consumption room for heroin addicts opened, prompting warnings it was 'feeding addiction'. Scottish Government figures showed there were 308 drug deaths between January and March, 33 per cent more than in the final three months of last year. They also showed that drug deaths among males rose by 44 per cent over the same period, with Glasgow having by far the highest number of cases. The figures were the first to be published covering the period after the opening of the controversial consumption room in Glasgow in January. The pilot scheme, titled the Thistle Centre, is the first of its type in the UK and accommodates up to 30 drug users. They are allowed to inject heroin under the supervision of clinical staff at the facility 365 days a year between 9am and 9pm. There are areas for injecting, a garden and a 'chill zone' for users. The city's health and council chiefs want to add 'inhalation rooms ' so that people can smoke crack, arguing this would extend the facility's appeal to more drug users. SNP ministers argued that the consumption room would help reduce deaths, because addicts would be supervised by NHS workers and potentially directed into rehabilitation. They suggested more could open across Scotland if it was deemed a success. But it emerged earlier this year that relatively few addicts who had used the centre had been referred for recovery treatment. Scotland is the drugs death capital of Europe, despite Nicola Sturgeon's making it her government's 'national mission' to tackle the scourge in 2021. Annie Wells, the Scottish Tories' shadow drugs minister, said the new figures were 'a source of shame for deluded SNP ministers, whose strategy to tackle drug deaths is clearly failing'. She said: 'Nationalist politicians have been at pains to trumpet the opening of the Thistle in Glasgow as a game-changing solution, yet the number of Scots suspected to have tragically lost their lives to drugs has risen sharply since it opened. 'It is clear that the facility is feeding addiction, rather than helping to treat addiction. The public will be appalled that Neil Gray [the SNP health secretary] thinks more consumption rooms should get the green light while this flagship one is failing people so badly.' 'SNP is failing the most vulnerable' Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, said: 'This shocking rise in drug deaths shows just how badly the SNP is failing the country's most desperate and vulnerable people. 'The SNP should focus on building proper pathways to rehab so that anyone who wants to quit an addiction has the help they need to do so. Each of these deaths is a tragedy – the SNP must act urgently to prevent the crisis spiralling further out of control.' Suspected drug deaths rose by 76 in the first quarter of this year compared to the final quarter of last year. The police divisions with the greatest number were Greater Glasgow (61), Ayrshire (36) and Lanarkshire (33). But the number of drug deaths in the year to this March fell by 14 per cent to 1,053. The total in the previous 12 months was 1,219. Mr Gray said: 'While these figures show a quarter-on-quarter rise in suspected drug deaths, they also note a year-on-year fall. We want every person experiencing harm to be able to access the support they need. 'We are taking a wide range of evidence-based measures including opening the UK's first safer drug consumption facility pilot, working towards drug-checking facilities and widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone.'
STV News
06-06-2025
- 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
04-06-2025
- 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
04-06-2025
- 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.
