Suspected Glasgow drug deaths at same level after opening of consumption room

The number of suspected drug deaths in Glasgow in the first half of this year was the same as the previous year despite the opening of a safe consumption facility.

The Thistle Centre opened in the city’s east end in January and offers a place for those struggling with addiction to safely inject under medical supervision.

Scotland’s drugs minister has previously said staff at the centre have helped to save lives.

But figures released by the Scottish Government on Wednesday show no change in the number of suspected drug deaths in the first six months of this year compared with the same time last year.

There were 133 such deaths in the first half of both years.

Suspected drug deaths are collated by Police Scotland and based on reports from officers who attend scenes where someone has died.

The provisional nature of the figures means the type of drugs associated with each death are not known, so it is unclear what impact the opening of the Thistle has had on the city’s injecting population.

Ministers have been raising concerns in recent years about synthetic opiates – known as nitazenes – which are said to be fast-acting and strong.

Across the country, 607 people were suspected to have died from drugs in the first six months of this year, an increase of 3% from the same period last year.

Figures released last week showed a 15% drop in confirmed drug deaths in 2024 to 1,017, but the figure remained the highest in Europe.

Drugs minister Maree Todd said the figures are a “stark reminder that we must do more to address the harms caused by drugs”, as the expressed her condolences to those impacted by drug deaths.

“Our national mission on drugs has delivered a number of positive developments, including widening access to life-saving naloxone kits to reverse overdoses and creating more residential rehabilitation beds,” she said.

“We have seen progress, with the National Records of Scotland statistics last week showing the number of deaths at the lowest level since 2017.

“However, this is a complex challenge which requires multiple interventions and we must continue to do everything we can to save and improve lives.

“To that end, we are providing record funding of more than £160 million for alcohol and drugs in 2025-26, and last week I announced new funding to support a number of local organisations targeting specific initiatives to support communities.

“This includes support for young people and women impacted by drug harms.”

But Scottish Conservative drugs spokeswoman Annie Wells described the figures as “harrowing” as she accused the Government of an “abject failure” to tackle Scotland’s high drug deaths.

“It’s heartbreaking that fatalities are continuing to rise, with far too many families grieving loved ones lost to the scrouge of addiction,” she said.

“The SNP’s flagship drug consumption room policy has failed. The Thistle is costing taxpayers a fortune, wrecking the local community and failing to reduce drug deaths.

“State-sponsored drug taking is not the answer to this crisis, yet the nationalists are ignoring the facts and ploughing ahead with plans for another drug consumption room in Edinburgh.”

The Tory MSP went on to urge the Scottish Government to back her party’s Bill that would give Scots a right to recovery.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the figures should be a “major wake-up call”.

She added: “Ministers must also be aware of the new danger emerging with the rise of synthetic opioids in our communities.

“These drugs don’t respond to typical doses of naloxone and the number of deaths is increasing.

“You only need to look at the scale of the problem in America to see what’s coming.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton described the statistics as “horrifying”.

He added: “Scottish Liberal Democrats are working hard to unpick the damage done by the SNP who, by Nicola Sturgeon’s own admission, took their eye off the ball.

“It’s why in the budget I fought to secure a new facility for mothers and their babies born dependent on drugs – something I first encountered when I was a youth worker.”