Public to be consulted on Edinburgh drug consumption facility
Plans to create a safer drug consumption facility in Edinburgh have moved a step forward after the city’s Integration Joint Board (EIJB) agreed to begin preparing a public consultation.
The Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (EHSCP) will now develop proposals to gather views from people who may use the service, local residents, and other stakeholders.
It follows a feasibility study carried out earlier this year by the EHSCP in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian. The study drew on international evidence, Glasgow’s recent experience of opening a similar facility in January, and input from people with lived experience of drug use.
The report identified the Old Town as the most suitable location, with data showing the area has the highest concentration of overdoses in the city. So far this year, 10% of Edinburgh’s drug-related deaths have been linked to public injecting in the Old Town, according to the EHSCP.
Councillor Tim Pogson, chair of the EIJB, said: “We remain committed to reducing drug-related deaths and drug harm wherever possible. I would like to thank the officers, partners and other parties who have contributed to this study to date, and I am pleased that the EIJB has agreed to continue with this process.
"This is an important step towards being able to provide the Scottish Government with a costed business case for a safer drug consumption facility in Edinburgh.”
Christine Laverty, chief officer of the EHSCP, said the Old Town was where the greatest harms linked to public injecting were concentrated. “Every drug death is a tragedy, and we must continue to work to reduce drug deaths and reduce the harm caused by drug use wherever possible,” she said.
“Our research shows that the Old Town is where the greatest concentration of harms related to public injecting and other high-risk public drug use is. So far this year, 10% of our drug-related deaths in Edinburgh have been from public injecting in the Old Town area. We also know from colleagues in the Scottish Ambulance Service that there is a high level of ambulance calls following overdoses in this area.”
The consultation plan will be considered by the EIJB’s strategic planning group in November, with the consultation itself expected to begin in early 2026.