Drug Consumption Rooms [DCRs]Policy & Advocacy

Key step towards the establishment of the first official Safer Drug Consumption Facility in Glasgow


United Kingdom
12.09.2023

On the 11th of September, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC announced that it would not be in the public interest for people using a pilot Safer Drug Consumption room to face prosecution for possession within the facility, and Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham has welcomed her position. This means that Glasgow authorities can now move forward with their proposal to establish a facility which can operate within the current legal framework.

According to the Lord Advocate’s response to the request from the Scottish Parliament cross-committee on tackling drug deaths and drug harm, she would consider making a public statement of prosecution policy if a pilot safer drug consumption facility were to be established. The announcement is based on the proposal developed by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and Police Scotland.

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