Explained: Glasgow's Sanctioned Drug Consumption Room

In the throes of the worst drugs crisis in Europe, it's been a long, controversial and complex road to get the UK's first drug consumption approved in Glasgow.

Opening the UK’s first sanctioned drug consumption room (SDCR) in Glasgow has been a long and complicated process. Due to open on October 21, it was announced earlier this month that the opening of the Hunter Street centre had been pushed back while safety checks are carried out on the building. A new opening date has yet to be announced.

The pilot scheme, modelled after facilities in Canada and Australia, will provide a space where people can inject drugs under medical supervision to reduce overdose deaths and HIV infection rates. Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe and Glasgow is at the epicentre. In 2023, 1,172 people died from drug misuse, a 12% increase from previous years. In the quarterly statistics, the total number of suspected drug deaths between December 2023 and February 2024 was 278, averaging 23 per week. There are estimated to be up to 500 people injecting drugs in Glasgow.