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
1
Rejected
Adopt a balanced, evidence-based approach to tackling problem drug use.
Recommendation
We call on both Governments to adopt a balanced, evidence-based approach to problem drug use. (Conclusion, Paragraph 35)
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the implied call for legislative changes to permit harm reduction measures like safer drug consumption rooms or the provision of drug paraphernalia, stating such actions would be unlawful under current legislation and it has no plans for changes.
Scotland Office
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5
Rejected
Establishing multiple safer drug consumption facilities requires a clear, common UK legal framework.
Recommendation
There has been interest in establishing SCDFs in other parts of Scotland, and the Lord Advocate has indicated that she will consider any such applications on their merits. Rather than having multiple facilities with individual 48 prosecution policy arrangements, it …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for legislative action to provide a common legal basis for SDCFs, stating it has no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Scotland Office
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14
Rejected
Require the Lord Advocate and Scottish Government to consider future inhalation room applications on their merits.
Recommendation
The Lord Advocate believes that widening the statement of prosecution policy to allow an inhalation room to operate is undesirable and we understand the reasons she has given. However, given that expert medical advice suggests that allowing the inhalation of …
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Government Response Summary
The UK Government rejects the recommendation, stating it does not support drug consumption rooms or the expansion of facilities for drug inhalation, and has no plans for legislative changes to enable them.
Scotland Office
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16
Rejected
Require UK Government to consider applications for medical equipment exemptions at The Thistle.
Recommendation
If an application for exemptions from the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to enable the provision of medical equipment at The Thistle were made by Glasgow City HSCP or the Scottish Government, the UK Government should consider such an application …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects considering exemptions for providing medical equipment at The Thistle, stating it does not support DCRs or expansion for inhalation and has no plans to change legislation.
Scotland Office
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21
Rejected
Work with Scottish Government to create sustainable legal framework for Safer Drug Consumption Facilities.
Recommendation
If the independent evaluation of The Thistle deems the pilot a success, and the Scottish Government proceeds to make The Thistle permanent, and perhaps to open further SDCFs, the UK Government should work with the Scottish Government to make the …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for legislative changes to support SDCFs if The Thistle pilot is successful, stating it has no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Scotland Office
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Conclusions (4)
4
Conclusion
Rejected
The current Lord Advocate’s statement of prosecution policy has been pivotal in enabling The Thistle to open. However, the Lord Advocate’s prosecutorial discretion is not a substitute for a considered legal framework to enable and regulate safer drug consumption facilities. The Thistle’s current legal position creates potential risks for people …
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the call for a new legal framework for safer drug consumption facilities, explicitly stating it has no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to enable their operation in the UK.
13
Conclusion
Rejected
Drug trends in Scotland have changed and are changing. For The Thistle to be effective, it must be able to meet the needs of the population it is trying to help, which it cannot do without an inhalation room. As well as making the facility accessible to those who inhale …
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the idea of enabling an inhalation room at The Thistle, stating that providing equipment for drug inhalation is unlawful under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and it has no plans for legislative changes.
15
Conclusion
Rejected
Having access to equipment such as single-use tourniquets, testing drugs onsite, and allowing visitors to inhale drugs have all been highlighted as key to The Thistle achieving its maximum effectiveness. Without these, a full and fair evaluation of The Thistle will be inhibited. (Conclusion, Paragraph 126) 50
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the implied need to enable access to equipment like tourniquets or allow drug inhalation at The Thistle, stating that such provisions are unlawful under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and it has no plans to make legislative changes.
20
Conclusion
Rejected
Without the UK Government’s approval or a change in legislation, The Thistle and potential other Safer Drug Consumption Facilities could, theoretically, continue to operate in Scotland indefinitely but this is not a desirable situation as their status would be precarious and uncertain. (Conclusion, Paragraph 137)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges devolved responsibilities but reiterates its stance of having no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to enable DCRs, thus maintaining the 'precarious and uncertain' status highlighted by the committee.