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MPs Say Glasgow Drug Consumption Room Is No Silver Bullet, Call for Mobile Units and Inhalation Option

The committee seeks an evidence-led decision on the pilot’s future with a legal framework considered only if the scheme proves effective.

Overview

  • Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee urges trialling smaller mobile facilities and adding an inhalation room to better meet need and reduce costs.
  • By 25 August, 418 people had made 6,147 visits to The Thistle, including 4,068 injecting episodes, with 56 medical emergencies managed on site.
  • The report judges the pilot likely to reduce deaths locally but not at city or national level, recommending decisions wait for an independent evaluation.
  • MPs press the Home Office to complete The Thistle’s drug‑checking licence assessment to allow on‑site chemical analysis of substances.
  • The committee notes the UK government opposes legislating for such facilities, while warning that funding must not come at the expense of detox and rehab or ignore nearby residents’ concerns.