The one-year anniversary of Glasgow's drug consumption facility the “Thistle Service”
By Ellis Clark
Image via Unsplash by Hennie Stander.
It has been just over a year since the Thistle Service; the UK’s first controlled drug consumption facility opened in Glasgow on 13 January 2025.
The facility has done large amounts of work for Glasgow's reputation of having the highest number of drug related deaths in Scotland. In its first year of operation the facility has seen 93 serious medical emergencies that were quickly assisted with by the on-hand nurses and staff. The facility has helped over 575 people and has been accessed over 11,348 times.
Since 2023 there has been a 24.8% drop in drug related deaths in Glasgow, from 246 down to 186 in 2024.
Despite the fact that the thistle service seems to be doing its job in preventing drug related fatalities, before it opened there was a large controversy surrounding the idea, as it was the first to offer its kind of services in the whole of the UK, many people believed it would just promote drugs and encourage people to try them.
Interested to hear what people had to say after a seemingly successful first year in operation, what will people have to say about the thistle service now.
Image via Unsplash by Myriam Zilles.
Jesse Glasgow student, said: “If people have any sort of like reaction to anything they've taken or like someone OD’s on something there's nurses on hand to prevent it and then also they've got clean equipment and no one's promoting drugs obviously but they've got clean equipment cause they are going to do it regardless so you're better keeping them clean and healthy.”
Savanah, Glaswegian 18, said: “I feel like, it's obviously not good that they are doing drugs and it is like they're main priority to stop them doing it and get them clean, it's a good idea in retrospect”
There is a chance that they will overdose something will go wrong, but they've got people there for that and that's the whole point and they've already thought that through.”
The majority, if not all the feedback from people was the same, that it’s mostly a positive thing, between the on-site medical care and the access to a clean safe space. People's opinion seems to have shifted from the previous apprehension now that the facility has had a chance to prove itself and has done good things for safety in Glasgow.
The final question is, will the proven success of the Thistle Service push other Scottish or even cities UK wide to consider their own controlled drug consumption facilities?