Politicians consult drugs expert on Scotland’s safer drugs consumption facility

Glasgow Caledonian University’s drug expert Professor Andrew McAuley’s expertise was called on for a major inquiry into ways to combat Scotland’s drug epidemic.

Following his appearance at the Scottish Affairs Committee earlier this year, Professor McAuley was quoted in their final report on Glasgow’s Safer Drugs Consumption Facility (SCDF), which was published on September 16.

The SCDF is the first of its kind in the UK and opened on January 13 this year as part of a three-year pilot. The inquiry examined the legal and policy challenges facing the facility, known as The Thistle – with a particular focus on its future.

Scotland experiences among the world’s highest level of drugs-related deaths. The problem is severe in Glasgow, where there are also concerns over people injecting in public places. In response, the Scottish Government committed £2.3 million per year to set up the UK’s first official SDCF, providing a safe place for people to inject their drugs under medical supervision. Staff can also offer support for health and social needs.

With more than 1,000 drug-related deaths in 2024, the Royal College of General Practitioners has described drug deaths in Scotland as “the most pressing public health issue facing the nation”.

Professor McAuley, Professor of Public Health at Glasgow Caledonian University, told the committee that Scotland has a “prevalence of risk” from drug-related harms which sits at a rate “much higher per head than you see in other countries, not just in the UK but in the rest of Europe”.

The transmission of blood borne viruses (BBVs) through the sharing of injecting equipment is a further harm caused by problem drug use. The most prevalent BBVs are HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B. An outbreak of HIV among those who inject drugs beginning in June 2014 was reported in the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde area, with 188 new diagnoses reported between then and December 2020. This increase was linked to homelessness and injecting in public spaces and was one of the main drivers behind the SDCF proposal.

In written evidence, Professors Vittal Katikireddi and McAuley, who are part of the team evaluating The Thistle, explained that those who inject in public spaces “are often the most marginalised members of society” due to “high levels of homelessness and socioeconomic deprivation.” As well as the increased risk of contracting a BBV, people who inject in public “are particularly vulnerable to abscesses, wounds, deep vein thrombosis, as well as overdose and drug-related death.”

The inquiry highlighted the importance of an independent evaluation of The Thistle – Evaluating the impact of the UK’s first sanctioned sAfer drug Consumption facility (ENACT) – led by Glasgow Caledonian University researchers in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and supported by colleagues from academia, the NHS and the third sector.

The £3.1 million project, which runs from 2025-2029, is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The project aims to evaluate the impact of the SCDF on health, social, community, environmental and economic outcomes. The committee recommended in its report that “if the independent evaluation of The Thistle deems the pilot a success, and the Scottish Government proceeds to make The Thistle permanent, and perhaps to open further SDCFs, the UK Government should work with the Scottish Government to make the necessary changes to reserved legislation to ensure there is a full, sustainable legal framework for Safer Drug Consumptions Facilities in Scotland.”

The report, which was commissioned by the House of Commons as part of a wider inquiry to look at problem drug use in Scotland, also considered calls for further services to be provided within The Thistle, including the addition of single-use tourniquets, a drug-checking service, and an inhalation space to meet the needs of people who smoke drugs – a growing trend in Scotland.

The report states: “The opening of The Thistle represents a significant change in the application of drug laws in the UK, and the facility could be instrumental in leading the way to address Scotland’s drug crisis. We hope the UK Government will consider our thorough examination of these issues carefully.”

The full report can be found on the Committee's website.