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Edinburgh drug consumption room could open next year

Steven GoddenBBC Scotland
News imageGetty Images man in hat taking drugs from a silver plateGetty Images

A drug consumption room could open in Edinburgh next year if it gets the go-ahead, according to city health chiefs.

A 13-week consultation on the proposals is expected to begin in April, subject to approval from the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership.

The first facility in the UK opened in Glasgow last year. It allows people to inject heroin or cocaine under medical supervision without being prosecuted.

Two areas of Edinburgh's Old Town have been identified as potential sites for the drug consumption room (DCR) - Spittal Street and an area around Cowgate.

Christine Laverty, chief officer of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (IJB) said the facility would not necessarily be a "carbon copy" of Glasgow's.

She said it would also need to be fully funded by the Scottish government as there was no "wriggle room" in the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership budget.

News imagePA Media A cubicle in the Thistle drug consumption room. Drug paraphernalia, including a needle to inject with, a sharps bin and wipes are on a table which has a mirror in front of it.PA Media
The Edinburgh DCR will not necessarily be a "carbon copy" of the Glasgow one

Papers published in advance of a meeting next week highlight the Old Town as the area where a DCR "would do most good" as it's "where most public injecting happens."

According to the report, drug-related deaths in public toilets, car parks and alleyways have been a recurring problem along with ambulance callouts for overdoses and discarded needles.

Before any Edinburgh facility could open, it would need Scotland's lord advocate to agree not to prosecute service users, the NHS to provide trained staff and city councillors to approve the plan.

Consultation responses would be used to inform a business case that would be submitted to the Scottish government later in the year.

A year after opening in January 2025, Glasgow DCR The Thistle registered 575 users who are mostly male.

Up to January 2026, it was accessed 11,348 times and used for 7,827 injections of illegal drugs. Staff on site also managed 93 medical emergencies.

The facility on Hunter Street, Glasgow, referred 612 people to other services, such as housing, in a bid to get them off drugs.

Scotland has recorded the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe for the past seven years.