Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Drug consumption rooms in Scotland green-lit by country’s top prosecutor

The Lord Advocate says it would 'not be in the public interest' to prosecute those using a pilot safer drugs consumption facility.

Drug consumption room
A drugs consumption room. Image: PA

Scotland’s top prosecutor has green-lit trials of drug consumption rooms, a measure long supported by campaigners to cut overdose rates.

The move means plans for a drug consumption in Glasgow will now go ahead.

No such trial has been confirmed in Dundee – which has the second highest rate of drug related deaths in Scotland – despite previous calls for the city to be included.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC, who heads the prosecution service, said she would advise police it would “not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users” for possessing drugs in such a facility.

We know from evidence from more than 100 facilities worldwide that Safer Drug Consumption Facilities work.

– SNP drugs minister Elena Whitham

Also known as overdose prevention centres, the facilities allow people to inject drugs like heroin under supervision.

Campaigners say this could help cut the number of overdose deaths, with trained staff on hand to provide emergency care.

In a statement on Monday, Ms Bain said it would not be appropriate for her to “sign off” on the opening of a drug consumption room.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC. Image: PA

While powers over the Misuse of Drugs Act are reserved to Westminster, the Lord Advocate is responsible for setting prosecution policy for all crimes.

Ms Bain said: “Prosecution policy is for me alone to set and this policy, and the consequences which flow from it, have been considered deeply and thoroughly.

“The requested statement will not extend to any criminal offences other than possession of controlled substances, contrary to section 5(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

“It does not amount to an exclusion zone whereby a range of criminality is tolerated.”

She said it was important Police Scotland would still have the ability to police any facility and ensure the safety of those using it and the wider community.

Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham said: “I welcome the position the Lord Advocate has taken.

“Glasgow authorities may now progress their proposal to set up a facility which can operate within the existing legal framework. While the service would still be limited to some extent, due to the reserved Misuse of Drugs Act, we are confident it would save lives.

“This is not a silver bullet. But we know from evidence from more than 100 facilities worldwide that Safer Drug Consumption Facilities work.

“It is now time to see this approach piloted in Scotland.”

Conversation