By Sarah Hilley
Copyright glasgowlive
Glasgow’s drug consumption room has been used by 400 people and accessed more than 6,000 times since it opened.
The city’s health and social care boss Pat Togher said the Thistle, which opened in January, now needs the chance to “bed in” and become “business as usual.”
A total of 333 men used the safer drug consumption facility compared to 85 women according to the latest statistics available.
Mr Togher said: “To date by the end of August there were 418 individuals who have accessed the service since it opened. The service has been accessed over 6000 times with over 4000 injecting episodes.”
The chief officer of the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) added: “There have been 56 medical emergencies recorded most of which have been managed internally.”
The Hunter Street facility allows people to safety inject heroin or cocaine under supervision.
Cocaine is the most widely used drug.
It aims to provide a clean safe environment where people can take the illegal drugs after purchasing them from dealers elsewhere.
As well as using the injecting area to take drugs, people can also get help with caring for wounds and access to a shower, laundry facilities and use of a clothing store.
The HSCP supports the Thistle expanding services to include an inhalation room to support people who smoke drugs according to a House of Commons committee report published earlier this month.
An application to run a drug checking service pilot in Glasgow was also submitted to the Home Office last year.
If approved it would allow illegal substances to be analysed and would also be based at Hunter Street.
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