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The UK’s first safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in Glasgow has been accessed 2,691 times during the four months it has been open, according to data published by the Glasgow City Health and Social Partnership.
According to service data recorded by the SDCF, between January and April 2025, use of the service increased over the first three months — from 336 times in January to 864 times in March 2025 — before dropping slightly to 847 times in April 2025.
Between January and April 2025, the service also reported 1,976 injecting episodes and 30 medical emergencies — 13 of which were in April 2025.
In addition, during the same four-month period, 246 unique users were recorded, and nearly 82% of those users were male.
According to the data, cocaine was consistently the most used substance, which amounted to 68.2% of the substances used in April 2025, while heroin made up 23.7%, and heroin and cocaine together accounted for 8.1%.
The Glasgow SDCF, known as ‘The Thistle’, opened on 13 January 2025, after gaining approval from the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board in September 2023.
SDCFs are legally sanctioned or tolerated facilities where individuals can consume their own drugs under the supervision of trained staff who can intervene to prevent fatal overdose.
In January 2025, the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee launched an inquiry to examine the case for the facility, as well as its medical effectiveness in reducing drug-related harm in Scotland.
The Scottish Affairs Committee will consider the legal position of the SDCF, the challenges it presents and the statutory and policy changes at a UK level that might be necessary to enable it to operate sustainably beyond its three-year pilot.
Plans to open a facility had previously been blocked by the UK government, as an attempt by the Scottish Affairs Committee to allow for a pilot in Glasgow was rejected in 2020.
The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland has historically been the highest in Europe.
According to figures published by National Records of Scotland in August 2024, between 2019 and 2023, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recorded the highest rate of drug misuse deaths in Scotland, with 33.8 deaths per 100,000 people.
In November 2023, Edinburgh Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (EADP) commissioned feasibility studies on opening an SDCF and drug checking services in the city.
The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) is expected to consider a costed proposal for a SDCF, which was one of the recommendations made to the EIJB in a report published in 2024.
Katharina Kasper, chair of the EIJB, said: “The EADP and partners are continuing work to scope out ways we could take SDCFs forward in Edinburgh. It’s essential that all possibilities are thoroughly explored to ensure that the range of services we can offer in Edinburgh give people the best chance of staying safe.
“The EADP will update the EIJB on that scoping work in August 2025.”
