Drug consumption room records less cocaine but increasing heroin use since January 2026

A safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow has recorded less cocaine use by service users so far in 2026 compared with last year but an increasing usage of heroin, as councillors and NHS staff in Edinburgh consider whether to apply for a similar facility.

Latest service data on The Thistle, published by Glasgow City Health and Social Partnership, reveal that in July 2026, cocaine accounted for 54% of substances injected at the site — down from 81% in January 2026.

According to the data, heroin accounted for 28% of the substances injected in July 2026, while in June 2026, the figure was 34%, the highest percentage of heroin use since the centre opened in January 2025. It also highlighted that in January 2026, heroin accounted for just 10% of substances injected.

Catriona Matheson, professor in substance use at the University of Stirling, a specialist consultant in drug death reviews for Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drug Partnership and former chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce, said: “Data from the Thistle has shown a high and increasing level of usage since opening. The pattern of drugs used still show very high levels of cocaine injecting although recent months suggest an increase in heroin use. 

“Injecting cocaine brings particular challenges for clinical staff as this is more likely to result in a cardiac event than respiratory depression that can be managed with naloxone. The availability of this data is really beneficial for the wider treatment and harm reduction network to be able to monitor what drugs are being used. 

“We will monitor this possible increase in heroin with interest over the next few months, and it could suggest the cocaine ‘glut’ is passing and heroin markets have been re-established after the disruption from the Afghanistan supply.”

Amira Guirguis, chief scientist at the Royal College of Pharmacy, commented: “The changing pattern of substances reported at the Thistle provides valuable local intelligence about the risks people who use the service may be facing. Monitoring these changes can help ensure harm-reduction responses reflect emerging patterns of drug use and associated risks.

“These figures do need to be interpreted carefully, as they record what a person reports they believe they have purchased and intend to use during an injecting episode, rather than laboratory-confirmed confirmation of the substance actually consumed. Considering these data alongside wider surveillance, toxicology and drug-checking information will be important in understanding changes in the drug supply and associated risks.”

In its first year, 560 people used the site’s services more than 10,000 times. In a report published in September 2025, the UK Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee recommended that if the pilot was shown to be a success — and if the Scottish government makes the centre permanent — then the UK government should “work with the Scottish government to make the necessary changes to reserved legislation to ensure there is a full, sustainable legal framework for safer drug consumptions facilities in Scotland”.

However, a UK government response, published in November 2025, said: “The government has been clear that it has no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to enable the operation of DCRs [drug consumption rooms] in any part of the UK.”

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership is exploring a proposal to open a safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in the city, with a public consultation closing in July 2026. The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) will decide whether a plan should be developed for an SDCF, which would then need to be agreed with the Scottish government and Lord Advocate.

Following the end of the consultation, a report is being prepared for the EIJB’s strategic planning group to consider in October 2026, before it goes to the full EIJB in November 2026. The board will then decide on next steps, including whether to proceed with developing a business case for the Scottish government on establishing a facility in Edinburgh.