Displaying items by tag: drug consumption room

Officials in Glasgow are expected to approve plans for the UK's first drug consumption room. The facility, known as the Safe Drug Consumption Facility (SDFC), would allow users to take their own drugs under the supervision of health professionals. Campaigners believe the facility could be ‘life-changing’ in addressing Scotland's high drug death rate, which remains the highest in Europe. The UK government does not support the plans but has stated it will not block the pilot. The proposed location for the facility is in Glasgow's east end, where a heroin assisted treatment service has been operating since 2019. The Scottish government has committed funding for the first year of operation, and Glasgow's Health and Social Care Partnership will cover building costs and necessary redesign. The plans will be presented to the city council's Integration Joint Board for approval. The move comes after the city council became the first local authority in the UK to formally support the decriminalisation of drug consumption.