Councillors clash over Edinburgh drug consumption room proposals
Concerns raised over drug consumption room proposals
Concerns have been raised by opposition councillors after Edinburgh council formally agreed its position on a proposed safer drug consumption room (SDCR).
Efforts have been underway for several years to set up a site in the capital where users can consume drugs under medical supervision. A draft response supporting a consumption room in the Old Town was assembled by council officers and approved by councillors at Thursday’s full council meeting.
However, the council’s Conservative group argued the local authority should submit a response casting doubt on the efficacy of SDCRs.
Referencing a similar consumption room currently on trial in Glasgow, Conservative group leader Councillor Iain Whyte said: “I don’t know what the pilot will come up with. But I will be surprised if it comes up with what proponents of these facilities claim.
“The key thing here is that the Thistle was set up as a pilot project. Pilot projects are meant to test the concept. You have to complete the pilot before you go rolling the thing out elsewhere.”
Results are expected after the Glasgow clinic’s trial period ends in early 2028. Cllr Whyte also highlighted locations that had stepped back from, or eliminated, the use of SDCRs, including Portugal, the north-western US, and Vancouver.
Conservative councillor Phil Doggart said the focus should be on rehabilitation, which he claimed was “spectacularly absent” in Scotland. He added that while drug deaths in Portugal had declined after substance abuse policies were reformed in the 2000s, they have since increased.
Drug use trends have shifted across Europe in recent years. In Afghanistan, once Europe’s largest supplier of heroin, the Taliban has effectively banned the growth of poppies. In its place, synthetic opioids—which are significantly stronger than heroin—have become increasingly common. In Edinburgh, the injection of cocaine is also rising in popularity.
Despite the objections, the majority of councillors backed the draft response, which passed by 45 votes to 10.
Labour councillor Mandy Watt said: “We must find a legal, and appropriate, way to stop needless deaths in this city. It’s imperative that we do that.
“We have to find a way to work with the legal system and with our communities who may be asked to have one of these facilities. How can we make this safe, how can we reassure people that what we’re trying to do is helping, and just stop people dying?
“This could be the first step for them rebuilding productive, constructive lives. We really need to find a way to get this right.”
SNP councillor Finlay McFarlane added: “The process itself is long, the outcome is not predetermined. For me, we as a chamber have a moral duty to not look upon the human misery we all pass on the streets as we approach this building and not be exploring absolutely every option that is available.”
During the debate, Conservative councillor Max Mitchell noted a recent visit to the Thistle clinic in Glasgow. He listed a number of statistics, stating that 93 overdoses had taken place at the site, with some individuals requiring transfer to A&E.
When asked by a Liberal Democrat councillor how many deaths had occurred at the clinic, Cllr Mitchell did not respond.
The Glasgow clinic has been operational for around 18 months. As of January this year, it had recorded more than 11,000 visits and zero fatalities.
A public consultation on the proposed Edinburgh consumption room is being undertaken by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and is set to close on July 1.