Calls to add smoking space to Glasgow drug consumption room

Health chiefs in Glasgow are planning to make the case for a smoking space to be added to the city’s drug consumption room.

The Thistle, a three-year pilot facility which provides a supervised area for injecting drugs, opened on Hunter Street in January.

Officials involved in the project say it has “become evident” that a smoking/inhalation space is “critical in order to realise the full benefit” of the facility.

Since the Thistle opened, cocaine has been reported as 67% of substances injected. There is anecdotal evidence of “a shift to smoking/inhalation of drugs, particularly cocaine”, officials add.

Members of the city’s integration joint board (IJB) — which oversees health and social care services — will be asked to approve the development of a business case for an inhalation space on Wednesday.

It is currently not legal for the HSCP to operate a smoking room, but it is planning talks with the Scottish Government over amending regulations to define the Thistle as an “exempt service”.

The Thistle is able to operate after the Lord Advocate announced users would not be prosecuted for possessing illegal drugs while on the site.

A report to the IJB states if a smoking/inhalation room is added then the statement of prosecution policy may need to be amended. “This would require further liaison with the Crown Office and formal communication with the Lord Advocate,” it adds.

In response to a recent Scottish Affairs Committee report, the UK Government said it “does not support drug consumption rooms or the expansion of facilities at The Thistle to enable users to inhale drugs”.

It has “no plans to make legislative changes to enable the provision of such paraphernalia as part of its operation”.

However, it added: “The Scottish Government has stated that in order to supply such equipment, Glasgow City HSCP would need to apply to the Lord Advocate for the necessary exemptions; how to respond to such a request would be a matter for the Lord Advocate.”

Legal issues, as well as costs and staffing and the best location for the space, would be explored during the development of the full business case.

A room for smoking drugs was included in the original plans, but it was dropped due to potential delays while legal issues were explored as well as extra costs and ventilation requirements.

The IJB report states recent overdose clusters in Glasgow have been “linked to increased smoking/inhalation of crack cocaine which has been contaminated with other substances”, while cocaine was implicated in 52% of drug-related deaths in Glasgow in 2024.

Officials add that feedback has highlighted the lack of inhalation spaces as “the main barrier to using the service”.

“The creation of a smoking/inhalation space would enable staff to encourage clients to transition from injection to smoking,” the report continues.

“It would also enable staff to engage with a group who do not currently frequent The Thistle and so provide the opportunity to potentially engage with the wider treatment services.”

Inhalation rooms consist of individual enclosed booths that have a ventilation system designed to remove smoke and vapour. Community engagement on the proposed service is planned.

By October 31, 494 individuals had registered to use the Thistle, with 8,236 visits and 5,552 recorded injecting episodes. Staff had managed 69 medical emergencies and over 360 referrals to other services had been made.

Most often these referrals were to housing services but also to alcohol and drug recovery services and other clinical services.