NEW DELHI: The United Kingdom (UK) will launch its first sanctioned consumption facility for illegal drugs, following prolonged negotiations with the government.
Thistle, the Glasgow-based pilot facility, supported by a £2 million ($2.5 million) grant from the Scottish government, will provide users with a sanitised environment to consume their drugs under professional medical observation.
The facility on Monday will welcome its first clients who will come in to inject illegally-bought heroin or cocaine under medical supervision.
With Scotland facing Europe’s highest drug-related mortality rates, the facility aims to minimise health risks associated with drug injection, particularly the transmission of blood-borne infections including HIV.
The Edinburgh-based devolved administration, under Swinney’s Scottish National Party leadership, intends to assist drug users in improving their circumstances while reducing the societal impact of public drug use.

“While this facility is not a silver bullet, it is another significant step forward and will complement other efforts to reduce harms and deaths,” First minister Swinney said on Friday during his site inspection.
Scotland’s drug legislation is established by Westminster, though its implementation falls under Scottish judicial authority.
The initiative received approval following the Lord Advocate’s policy modification, which grants immunity from prosecution to individuals possessing illegal substances while using the facility.
Whilst the UK government confirmed it would not obstruct the Glasgow initiative, it stated there were no intentions to establish similar consumption facilities elsewhere.
The proposal faces opposition from some community members who are concerned about increased drug dealing in the vicinity, whilst an addiction support organisation suggested it could promote self-destructive behaviour.
The facility, opening Monday in Glasgow’s East End, an area known for poverty and substance abuse, represents the culmination of years of legislative disputes between the Westminster and Edinburgh parliaments.
The Conservative administration in Westminster, which maintains authority over UK drug legislation, had consistently opposed these proposals throughout their 14-year governance.
The Scottish government moved forward with its plans after the country’s chief legal officer stated in 2023 that prosecuting individuals using such facilities would not serve ‘the public interest’.
Scotland has witnessed a dramatic increase in drug-related fatalities, partly due to the long-term effects of substance abuse by those who came of age during the 1980s.
Official Scottish data shows 1,172 drug misuse deaths were recorded in 2023, marking a 12 per cent rise from the previous year, though remaining the second lowest figure in six years. The rate exceeds England and Northern Ireland by nearly threefold and is approximately nine times higher than EU levels.
According to statistics, opioids, including heroin and methadone, were involved in 80 per cent of Scotland’s drug-related deaths in 2023. Powerful synthetic opioids, such as nitazenes, also emerged as an increasing concern. The highest mortality rates were recorded in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, and Dundee.