The government has said that it has ‘no plans’ to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act to allow more safer drug consumption facilities to operate in the UK.
The statement was in response to a call from the Scottish Affairs Committee to change legislation in the wake of The Thistle facility in Glasgow, which opened at the start of this year.
The committee published a report in September calling on the UK government to ‘take an evidence-based approach to drugs policy to effectively tackle drug-related harms in Scotland’. If The Thistle was found to be effective and became a permanent facility at the end of its three-year pilot period the government ‘should make necessary changes’ to legislation to create a new legal framework for consumption facilities in Scotland, it said. The Thistle was only able to open after Scotland’s Lord Advocate stated users should not be prosecuted for being in possession of drugs at the facility.
The government replied that while it was committed to an evidence-based approach it had no intention of revising legislation – however it did confirm that a Home Office controlled drug checking license for the facility had been issued last month. ‘With this, Glasgow will become the first city in Scotland where people can legally test drugs for dangerous contaminants’, the committee said.
‘We welcome the news that the government has moved ahead with issuing a drug checking license in Glasgow, as our report recommended,’ said committee chair Patricia Ferguson. ‘Glasgow is at the epicentre of Scotland’s record-high drug-death rate. This license, the first in Scotland, will grant support services a better understanding of new drug trends, and ultimately help reduce drug-related harms and deaths across the city.
However, we’re disappointed that the UK government continues to dismiss the possibility of amending drugs legislation to put The Thistle in a sustainable legal position, regardless of whether it’s a success. Throughout our inquiry, the committee was told that the facility’s current legal footing is precarious and not a substitute for proper regulation. Given the scale of Scotland’s crisis, the UK government shouldn’t take any option that could help reduce deaths off the table.’
Meanwhile, the government has published the first men’s health strategy for England, with the aim of improving physical health, tackling mental health challenges and reducing inequalities. ‘Men can be less likely to seek help and more likely to suffer in silence,’ the Department of Health and Social Care states. ‘This, combined with a higher propensity to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs, means men’s health is suffering, having a significant impact on families, workplaces and communities.’
However, Collective Voice chief executive Dr Will Haydock said that while the strategy was right to recognise the harm caused by alcohol and other drugs, there was ‘little to be gained’ by encouraging men to seek help ‘if the services they turn to aren’t properly supported’ – the government needed to ‘invest in services accordingly if it is to make a real difference’, he stated.
Alcohol and drugs appeared throughout the strategy ‘because they are among the most significant drivers of poor health outcomes for men’, added Change Grow Live deputy chief executive Nic Adamson – ‘yet the strategy stops short of the long-term commitments required to strengthen and expand the treatment services that could reach more men, earlier and more effectively. The strategy itself makes clear that the additional funding for drug and alcohol treatment ends in April 2026, just five months from now. Without clarity on what happens beyond that point, essential services cannot plan, grow, or provide the continuity that meaningful, long-term impact demands. To truly tackle these deep-rooted challenges, we need sustained investment and strong cross-departmental leadership.’