MOBILE DRUG ROOM ACTIVIST LOSES JOB
Peter still determined to create safe consumption unit
AN OUTREACH worker has lost his job after he unveiled plans to open a controversial drugs van in his spare time. Activist Peter Krykant has set out to force the issue of Drug Consumption Rooms, which has bitterly divided Holyrood and Westminster in recent years. But after he announced plans to service a mobile unit, which will help addicts inject drugs in a safe environment, employers Waverley Care showed him the door. Peter’s plan would be illegal but supporters hope Police Scotland would allow him to operate. Scotland’s Lord Advocate has stated that the Misuse of Drugs Act would need to be altered to enable such a facility to operate legally. Glasgow City
Council and the Scottish Parliament have supported the opening of a DCR pilot scheme in Glasgow.
Peter said: “I’m sad that it has come to this but my employers have told me they can’t continue with my employment if I run the van, as there is not legal framework to accommodate what I hope to do.
“I had hoped they would go the other way and offer encouragement but I understand their decision and I accepted it so there was a mutual aspect to it. This will put some pressure on my family but I am committed to getting this van on the road to help people who are crying out for help.”
Peter, in recovery from drug addiction, is trying to raise £5000 to get a van operational in three weeks.
A spokesperson for Waverley Care said: “We believe strongly that treating drug use as a criminal justice issue has been detrimental to efforts to tackle drug related harm, including the ongoing HIV outbreak affecting people in Glasgow.
“When we discussed these issues with Mr Krykant, and he made clear his intention to proceed with his plan, both parties mutually agreed that it would be best to go our separate ways.”