Majority of Scots support drug consumption rooms, study says

A majority of people in Scotland support setting up drug consumption rooms, according to new research.

Proposals to introduce Scotland’s first drug consumption room (DCR) in Glasgow, enabling people who inject drugs to do so in a safe and supervised environment, have been blocked by the Home Office.

The study, conducted by academics in Glasgow and Liverpool, questioned more than 1,500 people in Scotland and found 61% agreed with introducing the facilities, while 15% were against and 24% unsure.

Scientists randomly presented one of six different messages about the rooms to 1,591 people from across Scotland, designed to match the general Scottish population profile to ensure the study findings reflected the wider public’s views.

The research also revealed public sympathy for the proposal increases when they are given more information about the potential benefits for people such as families impacted by drug-related deaths.

Dr Andrew McAuley, a senior research fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University and senior author of the report, said: “Harms related to drug use in Scotland are at record levels and

Glasgow is at the epicentre with an HIV outbreak and some of the highest drug-related death rates in the country.

“This latest research not only suggests that Scots support DCRs, but also that giving the public more information about the benefits of DCRs, such as reducing drug deaths among people who use them and also that they can save the NHS money because of the overdose deaths and infections that they prevent, would make them more supportive.”

Picture: PA. Consumption rooms allow people who inject drugs to do so in a safe and supervised environment.