This is what the UK’s first drugs consumption room looks like
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The UK’s first safer drugs consumption room will open in Scotland in an effort to tackle the country’s major drug problem. The Thistle Centre, in Glasgow’s east end, will allow addicts to take drugs – including heroin – under supervision in a clean and hygienic environment, with help on hand if they suffer an overdose.
![[Injection bay areas in the Using Space at The Thistle drugs consumption room at the NHS Enhanced Drug Treatment Facility at Hunter Street Health Centre in Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday January 9, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235519006-b7a6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It’s hoped the NHS centre – set to open on Monday – will also help cut the risk of viruses such as HIV spreading and offer users the opportunity to access other support services. The room features a ‘using space’, basically a row of injecting bays that look a little like the booths seen at Covid testing centres.
![[A member of staff demonstrates an AccuVein vein finding device at The Thistle drugs consumption room at the NHS Enhanced Drug Treatment Facility at Hunter Street Health Centre in Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday January 9, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235519017-9e7c.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
On each table inside the bays users will find an injection kit that includes sterilised needles, a bucket to discard them in, an alcohol swab and an AccuVein vein finding device. There’s also a kitchen and lounge area with a TV, plus a health room where individuals can be seen privately by health professionals.
![[The lounge area at The Thistle drugs consumption room at the NHS Enhanced Drug Treatment Facility at Hunter Street Health Centre in Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday January 9, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235519023-e530.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The initiative will receive £2 million a year in funding from the Scottish Government. Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney, who took a tour around the centre, described it as a ‘significant step forward’ in dealing with the country’s drug issues.
![[Health Room at The Thistle drugs consumption room at the NHS Enhanced Drug Treatment Facility at Hunter Street Health Centre in Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday January 9, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235518983-3719.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. Scotland has the worst rate of drug deaths in Europe, with the latest figures showing 1,172 people died from drug misuse in 2023 – 12% higher than 2022.
![[Bookshelf in the lounge area at The Thistle drugs consumption room at the NHS Enhanced Drug Treatment Facility at Hunter Street Health Centre in Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday January 9, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235518989-770c.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
