Glasgow ‘shooting gallery’ branded a ‘harm maintenance service’

A drug consumption pilot project in Scotland has been branded a “harm maintenance service” for failing to refer users to recovery services.

Scottish Government statistics revealed that The Thistle, which opened in Glasgow in January, has referred just one-in-seven users to support services such as treatment programmes, benefit and housing schemes.

It has been used 1,435 times by 168 people since its launch. The centre is already seeking approval to expand by building an ‘inhalation room’ for crack cocaine users.

‘Harm maintenance’

Annemarie Ward, of addiction recovery charity FAVOR UK, explained: “These figures are deeply concerning and expose what many of us feared from the outset – that the Drug Consumption Facility (DCF) is functioning primarily as a harm maintenance service rather than a genuine bridge to recovery.”

She continued: “The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council promoted this facility as a crucial intervention to connect people with treatment, mental health support, and housing.

“Yet, the data speaks for itself: with just 1.8 per cent of visits leading to any kind of referral, the promise of meaningful engagement simply hasn’t materialised.”

functioning primarily as a harm maintenance service rather than a genuine bridge to recovery

Priorities

MSP Annie Wells said Government Ministers had hailed the ‘shooting gallery “as a silver bullet to tackle Scotland’s drug deaths crisis, but the early signs are not good.

“When such a pitiful amount of people are being referred to appropriate services, there is a danger people will continue to be trapped in addiction.”

She stated: “Scotland has the worst drugs deaths rate in Europe and yet the SNP are still failing to prioritise treatment.”

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership defended the project and noted: “We are only three months into a three-year pilot”.