Cocaine most used drug in Glasgow consumption room

Most people who are using Glasgow's new safe drug consumption room are using cocaine, according to health bosses.

The Thistle - where drug users can take illegal drugs in a clean, safe environment and under medical supervision - opened just over two weeks ago.

About 60 people have used the facility and the vast majority are men, a meeting of Glasgow City Integration Joint Board was told.

Pat Togher, Glasgow's health and social care chief officer, said the Hunter Street facility has been used 239 times, with 87% of those for cocaine use.

The Thistle opened on 13 January and it is the first centre of its kind in the UK.

Mr Togher said: "So far in the first two weeks we have seen 239 attendances – with a split of 85% male, 15% female.

"The drug use that has been noted of particular high prevalence tends to be cocaine. 87% of attendances have been using cocaine."

He said people have also being making use of a range of other health and wellbeing services at the facility.

"People have been taking advantage of the service including the lounge activity and the shower facilities we have available," he added.

"We have also seen onwards referrals to alcohol drug recovery services, which again is an early strong indication of just how effective this service can be."

Kelda Gaffney interim head of adult services at Glasgow's Health and Social Care Partnership, said: "We have seen cocaine in much greater numbers than expected – we always expected cocaine to be very high.

"It means people are attending much more frequently as cocaine requires more frequent injecting periods."

The facility was first proposed for Glasgow in 2016 but years of debate between the Scottish and UK governments than ensued.

The facility was finally approved in the autumn of 2023, with running costs expected to reach nearly £7m over the next three years.

Story by Sarah Hilley at the Local Democracy Reporting Service.