Alarms, Overdoses, and Rescues: Inside the First Two Days of UK’s New Drug Injection Facility

by admin | Mar 30, 2025 | criminal justice, drugs, healthcare and medicine, medicine and healthcare, public health and safety

The alert has been triggered at Britain’s inaugural drug consumption facility.

A man in his thirties has experienced an overdose in the “use area” — a section of the Glasgow center where nurses oversee injections at eight stations.

He had just gotten to The Thistle a few minutes before, excitedly talking about being checked by the police on Gallowgate.

The staff hurry over to assist, guiding him from his chair down to a safety cushion on the ground.

The filming team is asked to leave the location as an ambulance is summoned and personnel strive to resuscitate him.

Eddie Kearney, who works in harm reduction, informs us that the individual had consumed drugs on three occasions earlier that day.

“He’s using a ‘snowball,’ which means he’s taking both heroin and cocaine together,” he clarifies.

It has only been two minutes since he went inside, yet here he is lying on the floor.

We have been permitted to film in the center for two days, exclusively gaining entry into the innovative yet contentious consumption facility.

Within less than sixty minutes, the alert rings out once more, this time signaling another individual in their thirties.

He was guided to the reception area by staff members from a charitable organization before making his way to the booths to inject heroin.

Lynn MacDonald, who serves as the service manager, informs us that this is yet another medical emergency.

In the initial four weeks, there were no medical emergencies; however, this week we have experienced five.

The issue might stem from a particular batch of drugs. Users have observed changes in the heroin when preparing it, mentioning a distinct green hue to it.

She mentions that additional paramedics are en route.

Both individuals recover after receiving the overdose-reversing medication Naloxone, prior to being attended to by paramedics. The second person is then transported to the hospital.

Lynn MacDonald subsequently informed us: “I am completely certain that without our presence during the overdoses at the Thistle, individuals would not have made it through.”

Over the past 12 weeks since The Thistle began operations in the eastern part of Glasgow, there have been 16 instances of drug overdoses.

A total of 180 individuals have visited the facility, with over 1,200 monitored injections of heroin and cocaine purchased from the streets.

In total, 27 individuals have been directed to various external services such as housing assistance by the staff members.

This service, akin to programs operating in 18 other nations, aims to decrease drug-related harm among injection drug users within one of Glasgow’s most economically disadvantaged areas.

The aim is to create a safer environment for healthcare workers, which could help in preventing overdoses, cutting down on bloodborne viruses, and cleaning up the neighborhood where discarded needles and drug remnants have been significant problems in the past.

David Clark has been abusing substances for 26 years and has frequently lived on the streets during this time.

He let SANGGRALOKAScotland track his journey over a three-month span as he tried to transition from a city center homeless shelter and cease using heroin and cocaine.

The 47-year-old disclosed to Disclosure that he utilized The Thistle service for injecting cocaine in February.

Thereafter, the staff directed him towards new supported housing. During his interview, he had maintained abstinence for a fortnight.

He stated, “Upon going [to the consumption room], it didn’t meet my expectations.”

I expected you to go in, carry out your task, and leave. However, it doesn’t work that way.

The employees in that place assisted me and played a key role in helping me reach my current position.”

I’ve benefited greatly from it. It has improved how I feel about myself.

When we visited in early March, we encountered someone named James—a pseudonym—someone who had been using injectable drugs for many years. In his mid-20s, he was one of the initial attendees at The Thistle.

He describes the facility as “excellent.”

It’s much safer. I used to go to parking lots, alongside railroad tracks, forests — wherever I could find a place where I felt secure enough to do it without being detected.

He acknowledged that using drugs publicly was risky. “This is particularly true when I’m alone too. I’ve had multiple overdoses before.”

The center continues to be contentious in the local Calton neighborhood.

Before the project received approval during the preliminary consultation sessions, residents voiced worries that the location might turn into a zone with lenient attitudes toward drugs and could potentially lead to more street-level drug trafficking.

One of the most outspoken residents, Linda Watson, mentioned that the center was already drawing more individuals to the neighborhood for drug use.

She led Disclosure around Calton’s established hangouts and mentioned spotting signs of recently tossed drug syringes.

Linda likewise showed her frustration due to the insufficient funding in the region.

Initially, when we attended the meetings, the drug workers said: ‘We are offering a service to your community, which will improve conditions within your neighborhood.’

This isn’t intended for members of our community; instead, it targets those who enter our community solely to purchase drugs, use them, and then discard the remnants carelessly.

Why aren’t they assisting us so this wouldn’t have occurred initially? Why must we simply accept that this is how things will always be here?

Aren’t we entitled to something better?

Dr. Saket Priyardarshi, who serves as the associate medical director of drug services for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, stated that the purpose of the drug consumption room extends beyond catering to the health requirements of those utilizing the facility.

He added that this would enhance the social atmosphere for communities, residents, businesses, and visitors in these regions.

The Thistle aims to decrease drug-induced mortality rates among the community it serves. However, this demographic constitutes only a minor portion of Scotland’s overall populace.

The impact of this on the country’s overall drug-related fatality statistics will not be notably substantial. We must acknowledge that reality.

Dr. Priyadarshi mentioned that a significant portion of the frustration coming from the community was due to inadequate resources for various other services in the region.

“I sometimes fear that emphasizing residential rehabilitation programs or drug consumption rooms, along with the constant debates surrounding these topics, might distract us from addressing the broader issue at hand,” he noted.

What are the main factors at play? The primary factor is that communities facing significant deprivation and inequality are also the ones suffering from the highest rates of drug-related deaths and harms.

In 2017, the concept of a consumption room was introduced in reaction to an HIV outbreak among Glasgow’s intravenous drug users, which marked the most significant such incident in the UK over three decades.

Health officials were hoping that providing a clean space for individuals to inject drugs would decrease the transmission of bloodborne viruses.

Nevertheless, the plan’s detractors argued that additional funds ought to be allocated to other recuperation services.

The then Lord Advocate, James Wolfe, dismissed the suggestions, which were likewise refused by the UK Home Office.

The proposal was revived in 2021 following an announcement by the Scottish government about their national effort aimed at decreasing the nation’s high numbers of drug-related deaths.

Following adjustments to the prosecution guidelines, which enabled individuals to transport narcotics to the facility without the risk of facing charges, the center received approval in September 2023.

It will cost £2.3m per year to run, with funds being provided by the Scottish government over a three-year pilot period.

The authorities claim this is one of several steps being taken to address drug-related fatalities in Scotland, a country with the most documented death rate in Europe.

A final report on the overall impact of the unit is due after the end of the pilot period in 2028.

• Additional contributions by Kevin Anderson and Katie McEvinney

• Cocaine is the most consumed drug in Glasgow’s consumption room.
• UK’s first drug consumption room given go-ahead