Glasgow's drugs consumption room is not 'silver bullet', committee finds

The UK's first safer drugs consumption room should not be seen as a "silver bullet" to tackle Scotland's drug deaths, the chairwoman of a Westminster committee has said.

MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee said funding for The Thistle in Glasgow should not come at the expense of other efforts to reduce drug harm.

In a report published on Tuesday, they said the UK Government should not make up its mind on the future of the Thistle before an expert evaluation takes place on the three-year pilot scheme.

The Thistle which officially opened in January, is a space where drug users can take illegal substances such as heroin and cocaine under medical supervision in a hygienic environment.

It is designed to reduce public drug use and help tackle Scotland's drug deaths rate, which is the worst in Europe.

Local - not national - impact

However the committee's report notes that it is not anticipated to have an impact on the national or city-wide drug death rates, though it is "likely" to reduce them locally.

The report said concerns from nearby residents must be "taken seriously" and a "responsive communication strategy" must be put in place as soon as possible.

It also said the introduction of a room for inhaling drugs, as opposed to injecting them, should be considered for The Thistle.

The MPs noted the Thistle is "expensive" and any future facilities could be less sophisticated in order to save money.

'The Thistle is not a silver bullet'

Patricia Ferguson, chairwoman of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said: "Scotland 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.

"The 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're 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."

She continued: "However, we also recognise that The Thistle is not a silver bullet.

"Our report emphasises that this pilot shouldn't come at the cost of other recovery services - rather, they should operate in tandem to offer as much help as possible to people with problem drug use."

The report also urged the Home Office to urgently complete its assessment of The Thistle for a drug checking licence - which would allow visitors to have drugs chemically analysed.

'Recovery services are skeletal'

Annemarie Ward, CEO of Faces & Voices of Recovery UK said: "Scotland does not lack compassion. It lacks political will.

"This report dresses up managed decline as progress. The Committee itself concedes that The Thistle will not reduce drug deaths across Glasgow or Scotland and at best it may offer some localised relief.

"Meanwhile, suspected drug deaths have risen from 215 in late 2024 to 312 in spring 2025 a 45 per cent increase in just six months.

"Naloxone use is soaring. Families are burying their children, and yet millions are being poured into consumption booths while detox and rehab remain starved."

She added: "We were told consumption rooms would mean fewer needles in our communities. In the Calton, we are seeing the opposite, more needles, more visible use, not less. Even the most basic promises of harm reduction are not being met.

"The Committee says facilities like The Thistle should operate in tandem with recovery. In practice, there is no tandem.

"Recovery services are skeletal. Talking about ‘balance’ while recovery is barely funded is political spin."

She's demanding that Scottish ministers fund at least 1,000 new permanent detox and rehab beds, ring-fence investment for recovery housing and trauma services, and publish monthly independent reports on how many people move from the Thistle into recovery.

'I have no doubt lives have been saved'

Holyrood drugs policy minister Maree Todd said: "Drug deaths in Scotland are down 13% and at the lowest level since 2017. The Scottish Government's national mission to tackle drug harms means we have already spearheaded evidence-based harm reduction.

"Since opening, the Thistle has been recognised by the Global Commission on Drug Policy and has responded to a number of on-site overdose incidents - I have no doubt that lives have been saved.

"Evidence from similar facilities around the world has found that safer drug consumption rooms can reduce harms, levels of public drug consumption and publicly-discarded drug-related litter.

"The UK overall is a clear outlier in Europe for drugs deaths and in Scotland we are already working hard together with organisations to tackle the challenge head-on, for example through creating more residential rehabilitation beds and widening access to naloxone.

"However, the challenges we face will require clear four-nation approaches, particularly given many areas of drugs policy remain reserved to the UK Government."

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