By Harvey Muldoon

The Thistle to open smoking room for cocaine users (Image: Unsplash)

The Thistle, a safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow which opened in January, is set to widen its remit to include those who use cocaine.

The facility opened to help recovering addicts by distributing doses of heroin in a controlled environment with medical experts and doctors present.

However, The Thistle plans to expand its demographic of struggling addicts by opening a new smoke room solely targeted towards those suffering from cocaine addiction.

With the consumption room nearly reaching its one-year anniversary, the Glasgow populace has had ample time to form an opinion on the facility; some being more vocal than others.

Cocaine was responsible for 52% of drug-related deaths in Glasgow in 2024. So, the NHS and Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership who operate The Thistle will need direct approval from the Scottish Government to put these plans into place. They will need to amend regulations by advertising the facility as an “exempt service”.

A smoking room in relation to cocaine was generally favoured, as cases show anecdotal evidence of smoking/inhalation growing more popular with cocaine users.

Yet, while there has been push back from some of the city’s citizens, many are on board with the new facility.

Miranda, 24, said: “I think if it makes the streets safer then I would say yeah. You’re not gonna have heroin addicts shooting [it] up in alleyways. And if anything does happen to them then at least they’ve got someone there if they overdose.”

Andres Oliver, 25, from California, said: “I think it is an overall positive development, and it is necessary to help people. Back home in California, we can’t put shelters in the city, so it’s good to see Glasgow embracing a better environment.”

Donna, 26, from Glasgow shared a different opinion. She said: “I know a lot of people who live near the facility that haven’t been too keen on it. I think I remember a walk-in centre opening a few years ago, and people weren’t too happy about it. The problem never goes away.”

A report was released in March directly commenting on local hesitance in supporting the facility. Many believed nearby neighbourhoods could turn into drug-tolerant zones where dealing became prevalent.

Continuing to expand the services available at the facility by opening this smoking room might slowly but surely lose the backing of many members of the public, given that it truly does increase the rate in which local deals are conducted.

The NHS and HSCP will have to conduct further talks with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Lord Advocate, particularly having to cover the legal issues involved with exemplifying the use of product.

According to the UK Government, there are currently no intentions to change drug laws to support additional drug consumption rooms.

Glasgow consumption room to open smoking room for cocaine users.