Europe's drug death capital tries a new way of reducing fatalities

Britain will soon see the opening of its first officially sanctioned room for the safe consumption of illegal drugs. 

The facility will be in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland – a country whose rate of drug abuse fatalities is by far the highest in Europe.

Scotland's government has backed setting up the consumption room, even as British drug law makes the mere possession of many drugs a criminal offence. 

The facility, which will start recruiting staff next year, was first proposed in 2016 following an HIV outbreak in Glasgow among people who injected drugs in public places.

Its proponents say evidence from more than 100 similar facilities worldwide, including in Germany and the Netherlands, show they work to save lives and reduce overall costs to health services.

The £2.3 million (€2.53 million) centre will be staffed by trained healthcare professionals and offer a hygienic environment where people can consume drugs they obtained elsewhere.

Officials have stressed the centre will not encourage drug use, and will focus on promoting harm reduction and avoiding overdoses. 

Users will not be permitted to share drugs with others in the facility, and health and social workers will be on hand to offer advice and support on recovery and welfare.

Kirsten Horsburgh, CEO of the Scottish Drugs Forum charity, told Euronews in a statement the case for the facility is backed by international evidence.

"Safer drug consumption facilities should be provided in areas where people are injecting drugs in outdoor or unsafe locations – car parks, waste ground, alleyways and so on. The Glasgow service was proposed first in 2016 to serve a city centre-based group of people amongst whom an HIV outbreak had occurred. That need still exists as it does