Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
3rd report - Problem drug use in Scotland follow-up: Glasgow’s Safer Drug Consumption Facility
Scottish Affairs Committee
HC 630
Published 16 September 2025
Recommendations
17
Not Addressed
Urgently complete assessment and support The Thistle's drug checking licence application.
Recommendation
The Home Office should urgently complete its assessment of The Thistle for a drug checking licence and should ensure any necessary support is provided to ensure The Thistle is successful in its application. The Home Office should provide an update …
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Government Response Summary
The government clarifies that a controlled drug licence was issued in October to the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board for a separate drug checking service, and this licence does not cover The Thistle itself.
Scotland Office
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Conclusions (7)
6
Conclusion
Given the severity of problem drug use in Glasgow, it is clear that decisive, radical action is needed. The Thistle is a gold standard facility and represents an intervention that is commensurate with the scale of Glasgow’s drug problem. However, it is also expensive. The Thistle could prove good value …
7
Conclusion
However, any discussion of the cost of The Thistle must be considered in the context of Scotland’s drugs crisis, with 1,172 people having died from drugs in 2023 alone. While it is right that the cost of The Thistle is properly considered, it must be recognised that the scale of …
8
Conclusion
It is also clear to us that SDCFs must not come at the cost of funding current recovery services. It is not an ‘either/or’. Rather, SDCFs are just one tool available to combat problem drug use, which is complementary to, and works in tandem with, recovery services. (Conclusion, Paragraph 84)
9
Conclusion
The Thistle is an example of just one model of a safer drug consumption facility, and it is possible that others — such as mobile units — could provide more cost-effective solutions, or interventions better suited to the needs of local populations. There could be merit in exploring other service …
10
Conclusion
Community support and the impact of the SDCF on the local community is of paramount importance to the success of The Thistle. While we are reassured that the ongoing independent evaluation is monitoring the levels of discarded paraphernalia and the wider impact on the local community, and recognising the international …
11
Conclusion
A responsive communication strategy must be developed by The Thistle, agreed by the Community Forum, and put in place as soon as possible in order to support the community engagement and partnership working that is crucial to the success of the project. (Conclusion, Paragraph 104)
12
Conclusion
It is vital that key stakeholders of The Thistle are engaged to address concerns about the impact of the facility and continue to work with the local community on how to address any concerns raised. We recognise that it may take time for the local effects of The Thistle to …