UK's first drug consumption room announces opening date
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The UK's first safer drug consumption room will open in less than two weeks in Glasgow, the council has confirmed. It will allow users to take illegal substances under medical supervision in the hope they will get help for their addiction. Approved in September 2023, the aim was for it to open last year but final checks on water and ventilation systems pushed it back.
The council has now said the facility on Hunter Street, in the city's east end, will start operating on 13 January. Known as the Thistle, it will be open 365 days a year from 9am to 9pm and is based in the same building as a current treatment facility.
Scotland has the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe - with the problem centred in Glasgow. In 2023, 1,172 people died due to drug misuse, according to National Records of Scotland data. That was up 121, or 12%, compared with the previous 12 months. Indonesia: French death row inmate makes last-ditch plea to return to home country as thousands set to be pardoned.
Colin Wright: Gangster who ran amphetamine lab and trafficked heroin and cocaine jailed. 'Bali Nine' drug smuggler ring members released after nearly 20 years in prison. Opioids - such as heroin - were implicated in 80% of the deaths. Drug consumption rooms are a regular feature in some other major European cities that have claimed high success rates in saving lives.
