City MP calls for safe drug injecting ‘fix room’ pilot

MPs have been asked to back plans that would allow safe injecting rooms in Glasgow.

Alison Thewliss, Glasgow Central MSP, wants the UK government to allow a pilot in the city for a supervised Drug Consumption Facility.

She has the backing of MPs across all parties for the suggestion.

The MP told the House of Commons that the current practice wasn’t working and people wer reporting needles in streets and back courts and addicts injecting in public.

Ms Thewliss said: “The problems associated with public injecting are patently clear: my constituency office regularly receives reports of needles and other drug paraphernalia being discarded in public places, and I have seen drug-injecting taking place in locations not far from where my office is located.”

She said Scotland had the highest overdose rate in Europe.

The MP added: “The complex health issues for the drug-injecting population in Scotland are becoming ever more alarming, especially for an ageing population who have been injecting for a long time.

“In Scotland in 2016 there were 867 deaths from fatal overdoses of drugs – the highest number of deaths from drug overdose in Europe.”

The city council and health board wanted to open a facility where addicts could safely inject drugs and get access to other services in a bid to but the number of overdoses and reduce the spread of HIV and other potentially deadly diseases.

Plans for a facility were blocked because the Lord Advocate wouldn’t give immunity from prosecution for illegal drugs to be consumed on the premises.

It would need a change in the drug laws, which are reserved to Westminster, to allow that to happen.

The proposal was for a facility to be opened to addicts somewhere in the area around Saltmarket and Trongate.

Ms Thewliss said a new approach to the problem was needed.

She added: “Doing the same thing, over and over, is failing families, communities, and those using drugs.

“Supervised injecting facilities may not solve everything, but they have worked elsewhere.

“The Home Office must support my Bill and allow Glasgow to go ahead with the pilot. If it doesn’t work, fine. We should still try.”

Her Bill to allow a pilot will be heard again and debated by MPs next month.