Scotland fights drug crisis with the first supervisory facility

Scotland fights drug crisis with the first supervisory facility

In a quiet corner of Glasgow in the east of the city, there is a radical experiment in the field of public health. For the first time in the United Kingdom, people who inject illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine have the opportunity to do this under medical supervision in a safe and protected environment.

a safe space for drug users

There are no arrests here, no judgment and no questions about the origin of the drugs - the focus is on making the application safer and minimizing your dangers.

The opening of the Thistle facility

The facility, known as Thistle, was opened in January when the pressure on politics and the health system grew to counter Scotland's tightening drug crisis. With the highest rate of deaths caused by drugs in Europe, the Scottish health authorities have long been calling for a more pragmatic and compassionate handling of the problem.

financing and model

financed by the decentralized Scottish government and based on over 100 similar institutions in Europe and North America, the pilot phase of this safe drug consumption facility is a significant change from the traditional, punishing approach of the United Kingdom in dealing with illegal drug use.

medical supervision and security

In the Thistle there are eight injection cabins. Dorothy Bain, which is headed by the State Consulting in Scotland and advises the government, said in May before a British parliamentary committee that “it is not in the public interest to pursue users of the safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow due to the possession of drugs for personal use.”

continuous review of the measures

She added that this approach was checked regularly to ensure that “it does not cause difficulties, increases the risk of further crime or has inadmissible effects on the community.”

reactions to the project

supporters describe this as a long overdue step towards an approach of reduction in damage. Critics warn that the facility could become a place to maintain harmful dependencies instead of being treated.

what is the thistle?

The Thistle is located in a low -kept clinic building near the city center. Here the users bring their own drugs with them, prepare them on site and inject them under the attentive supervision of trained staff.

The offer of the facility

The facility does not provide any substances and does not allow drug use between the users. Instead, it offers clean equipment, medical supervision and a protected environment for people who would otherwise have to consume in backgrounds, public toilets or waste containers - with the associated risks for themselves and the general public.

statistical success

"We carried out almost 2,500 injections within the facility," said Dr. Saket Priyadarshi, the clinical director of Thistle, a CNN team that visited the facility in early June. "That is 2,500 fewer injections in the community, in parks, backgrounds and parking spaces."