Drugs minister pushes consumption rooms during ‘constructive’ UK summit

Scotland’s drugs minister has again pushed the UK Government to allow safe consumption rooms north of the border during a “constructive” meeting.

Angela Constance said she met with ministers from across the UK on Thursday to discuss the issue of drugs.

UK crime minister Chris Philp and Welsh health minster Lynne Neagle were also in attendance at the meeting, where Ms Constance urged the UK Government to reconsider its opposition to safe consumption facilities.

The initiative – which has been planned in Glasgow for a number of years – would allow people struggling with addiction to take drugs under the supervision of medical professionals.

The Home Office has repeatedly refused to provide the necessary exemptions to the Misuse of Drugs Act that would be required to ensure users and staff are not criminalised.

After the meeting, Ms Constance said in a statement: “At the ministerial meeting I continued to emphasise the importance of taking a public health approach to the drug deaths crisis in Scotland.

“Once again I raised the issue of safer drug consumption facilities.

“Earlier this year, during a holiday in the United States, I visited a facility in New York.

“The OnPoint organisation runs two such facilities in the city and say that, since opening, they’ve reversed more than 700 overdoses.

“Seeing first-hand the impact it is having there made me even more determined to see one established in Scotland.

“I updated ministers on our work so far on this life-saving project and, again, pointed out how much quicker this could be done with agreement from the UK Government.”

Ms Constance said discussions also centred around drug checking facilities – which Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee are due to submit licensing applications for – in the wake of a Public Health Scotland alert on the discovery of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.

She added: “It was a productive meeting with a shared commitment from all ministers to work together to address some of our challenges, such as poly-drug use, while also highlighting areas of success and good learning, including naloxone distribution and widening availability of long acting buprenorphine.

“There was also agreement about the need to overcome data protection barriers to improve essential data sharing between emergency services and drug and alcohol treatment providers.

“It was also useful to hear from the National Crime Agency about their work to tackle pill press availability and I committed to engaging with the UK Government on their current consultation to combat the illicit use of pill presses, and other matters.”