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3d ago

UK Government Rejects Expansion of Supervised Drug Consumption Rooms

The Home Office insists legal barriers will remain despite Scotland’s push to curb its record drug death toll with supervised injection facilities

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Overview

  • On June 4, Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson told MPs the government will not amend the Misuse of Drugs Act to allow additional safe consumption rooms even if Glasgow’s Thistle Centre succeeds.
  • The Thistle Centre pilot opened in January after Scotland’s top law officer ruled prosecuting its users would not serve the public interest, providing injecting booths, a recovery lounge and support services.
  • Scotland recorded more than 1,170 drug-related deaths in 2023, the highest rate in Europe, prompting the Scottish Government and Edinburgh officials to seek further pilot sites.
  • Liberal Democrat MP Angus MacDonald warned blocking new consumption rooms would “condemn thousands of people to death,” while SNP leader Stephen Flynn challenged ministers on their evidence.
  • The UK Government says it will continue to pursue a range of drug-misuse measures guided by advisory bodies such as the ACMD rather than changing the law.