Drugs charity chief calls for more safe consumption facilities

The head of one of Scotland’s longest-established drugs charities has called for more legal consumption facilities to be set up around the country, describing the centre in Glasgow as “invaluable”.

Kirsten Horsburgh, chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum, suggested mobile units could be set up as well as fixed sites for drug consumption.

The Thistle opened in Glasgow’s east end in 2025 to offer a space for those struggling with addiction to inject drugs while under the supervision of medical professionals.

During its first year, 11,348 visits were made to the centre by 575 registered people, with 7,827 injections carried out. Staff treated 93 medical emergencies.

However the facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK, has not been without controversy and critics say it has not tackled Scotland’s drug death rate.

The Scottish Drugs Forum charity has run for almost 40 years and aims to improve approaches to drug-related harm.

Speaking to Abbeycare’s Listen Up podcast, Ms Horsburgh praised the “compassionate” approach to drug users taken at The Thistle, and called for this to be replicated.

She added: “It’s not just this model that we could use across Scotland. There are a variety of options: mobile units, fixed sites, third sector-run, peer-led facilities. All of these should be on the table.

“I would like to see us get to a point where any service that’s providing injecting equipment would also be able to provide a space for people to use in safe conditions, so that the alternative for people going outdoors… and being discovered some hours later having had an overdose does not occur, and that people are treated with that respect.”

She said The Thistle was not simply a space in which drugs are taken, but it provides other kinds of support for people, such as showers and clothing.

Ms Horsburgh added: “To have that space is invaluable. It’s taken us so long to get it.

“It’s been really sad to see some of the critique around the service, particularly where people are being linked into interventions that are creating positive change for them in their lives.

“That might be getting into treatment, that might be making links back with their families, that might be getting their housing sorted, it might be getting their benefits addressed – a whole range of different improvements.”

She acknowledged that it was important that any concerns raised by people living near the facility were addressed.

Eddie Clarke, outreach manager at Abbeycare and the host of Listen UP, said: “Kirsten spoke passionately about the importance of treating people struggling with addiction with dignity and respect, and we are grateful to her for sharing her experiences on our podcast.

“To reduce drug-related deaths, we must continue to focus on harm reduction and also on services that are actively helping people overcome and recover from addiction.

“At Abbeycare, we fully endorse the necessity of harm reduction interventions as a vital component of care, and use these tools within our own programmes when needed.

“However, we maintain that abstinence-based recovery is the most robust and safest form of harm reduction available.”