{"id":428914,"date":"2025-09-16T12:55:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/428914\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T12:55:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:55:21","slug":"scotland-could-have-mobile-units-and-inhalation-rooms-to-tackle-drug-deaths-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/428914\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland could have mobile units and inhalation rooms to tackle drug deaths crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scotland could have mobile safe consumption units and inhalation rooms to tackle its drug deaths crisis, which remains the worst in Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A report by the Scottish Affairs Committee raised the possibility of considering additional alternative models to run alongside the country\u2019s first drug consumption room.<\/p>\n

The Thistle \u2013 the UK\u2019s first facility of its kind \u2013 opened in Glasgow in January 2025 for a three-year pilot.<\/p>\n

But MPs have warned it should not be seen as a \u201csilver bullet\u201d to tackle Scotland\u2019s drug deaths.<\/p>\n

\"TheSTV NewsThe Thistle is the UK\u2019s first drugs consumption room in Glasgow. STV News<\/p>\n

Committee members found that smaller mobile facilities could be more cost-effective and reach a greater number of drug users.<\/p>\n

The MPs also stated an inhalation room, which would let users smoke drugs via pipes, is needed for The Thistle to remain effective.<\/p>\n

It comes just days after figures confirmed Scotland continues to have the highest rate of drug-related deaths per head of population anywhere in Europe.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/a>\"Play<\/p>\n

The committee said public injecting has been a particular problem in Glasgow, contributing to harms such as the spread of blood-borne viruses, including HIV.<\/p>\n

It also noted international evidence shows such facilities can reduce these harms and relieve pressure on health services.<\/p>\n

But the report also said The Thistle, located in the east end of Glasgow, must be judged on its merits and not come at the expense of other recovery services.<\/p>\n

It added that concerns from nearby residents must be \u201ctaken seriously\u201d and a \u201cresponsive communication strategy\u201d must be implemented as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\"TheSTV NewsThe Thistle: UK\u2019s first drugs consumption room in Glasgow STV News<\/p>\n

Patricia Ferguson, chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said: \u201cScotland has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe. Without a doubt, this is the most pressing public health issue facing the nation, and things need to change urgently to stop more people dying.<\/p>\n

\"'The <\/a>\"Play<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Thistle could be one way of helping Scotland do this. If the facility, after its three-year pilot, is shown to be effective at tackling drug-related harm, we\u2019re urging the UK Government to follow the evidence and take the legislative action needed to create a proper legal framework that will ensure it can run and be regulated properly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, we also recognise that The Thistle is not a silver bullet. Our report emphasises that this pilot shouldn\u2019t come at the cost of other recovery services \u2013 rather, they should operate in tandem to offer as much help as possible to people with problem drug use.\u201d<\/p>\n

STV News is now on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

Follow STV News <\/a>Follow STV News on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

\"WhatsApp<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scotland could have mobile safe consumption units and inhalation rooms to tackle its drug deaths crisis, which remains…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[748,918,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-428914","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-glasgow","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115214086691227415","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}