An SNP MP has warned the UK Government not to ignore a Westminster report calling for safe drug consumption rooms to be piloted in Scotland, an
Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss has been campaigning for safe spaces for users to take substances under medical supervision for a number of years.
But after a report by Westminster’s Home Affairs Committee recommended UK ministers back the set-up of a pilot scheme in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, she said there is now a need for urgent action.
The report recommends the Scottish and UK governments work together to fund the scheme.
The committee also said that drug laws should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament if the UK Government remains unwilling to support the pilot.
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Scottish ministers have been pressing for drug law reform, including safe consumption facilities, however Westminster has previously ruled this out.
It comes as figures published last week revealed drug deaths in Scotland had fallen to their lowest since 2017, to 1,051. However, the country still has the highest death rate in Europe.
Ms Thewliss said the report is “important recognition” that immediate action is needed at a Westminster level, including reforming the Misuse of Drugs Act.
She said: “The Tories can no longer ignore the need for urgent reform of the UK’s drug laws. They must accept the recommendations of the cross-party Home Affairs Committee report and the demands the SNP has made for years for safe consumption rooms.
“Safe consumption rooms are not a silver bullet when it comes to drug deaths in Scotland, but they do have a part to play in a joined up approach from every level of government to combat drug-related deaths, and – as this committee agrees – could save lives.”
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