The Thistle: A Win or a Waste?

It’s been six months since Glasgow’s safer drug consumption room – known as The Thistle – opened its doors in the East End.

The Thistle, as it stands, is the UK’s first and only drug consumption room. It’s been described by some as a warm, inviting place; full of compassion and dignity, designed without stigma and with lived experience at its heart.

To others, it’s a waste of time, of resources, and of money.

Driving the conception of this facility is the plain reality that Scotland is, infamously and unfortunately, the worst when it comes to drugs. It’s a full-blown crisis; drug-related deaths are higher here than in any other European country, and three times higher than the nation with the second-highest rates (Ireland). The latest figures from the Scottish Government show that in January to March this year, 308 people lost their lives to drugs. That’s a rise of 33% from last October to December.

Safer drug consumption facilities (SDCF) are in operation in several countries all over the world, including Switzerland, Australia, and Canada, and Glasgow has been calling out for one for almost a decade.

At The Thistle, people can come to inject safely and privately, where trained medical staff are on hand to help. There is a reception and waiting area, and private chat rooms where users can talk to staff about the drugs they plan to take. There is a separate using space with eight individual booths, a post injection recovery area attended to by trained staff, and an aftercare lounge area where service users can, if they want to, interact with healthcare support staff. It’s open 9am to 9pm, 365 days a year.

So, is it working?

Helen Clark is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, now chair of the Global Commission for Drug Policy. She spoke outside of the centre last month:

“They’ve recorded 39 medical emergencies (which) tells you they’ve avoided 39 deaths. If people had had those emergencies happen with the drugs they consumed out there, they’d be dead. So it’s 39 lives saved. It’s hard to put a value on that, it’s incalculable.”

The centre has received swathes of praise from politicians – with First Minister John Swinney describing it as a “significant step forward” in tackling drug deaths in Scotland. Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in Scotland echoed Mr Swinney, hailing the centre as a place of warmth and respect, and hopes it’ll be “another tool in (our) box to reducing the harm (and) level of drug-related deaths (we) see in Scotland”.

However, it’s received its fair share of criticism, too. Charities like Faces and Voices of Recovery UK, think time and resources would be better directed towards rehab centres and programmes. The Thistle will cost £2.3m per year to run, with funds being provided by the Scottish government over a three-year pilot period. Furthermore, in the six months since The Thistle opened, residents nearby have grown concerned about littering, noise – and used needles being abandoned up and down the pavements.

It’s just one of many government measures to tackle this crisis – only time will tell if it’s been a successful endeavour.

Published: 11/07/2025 by Radio NewsHub