Public asked for views on Edinburgh drug consumption room

Edinburgh residents have been invited to share their views on the potential opening of a safer drug consumption facility in the city centre.

The City of Edinburgh Council last year announced plans to open a room that would allow people to inject illegally-bought heroin or cocaine under medical supervision.

It would be the second of its kind in the UK after the Thistle Centre launched in Glasgow last year.

The consultation, which consists of an online survey and drop in sessions, will stay open for 13 weeks until 1 July.

The local authority will also consult families impacted and those with lived experience of drug use.

The Thistle Centre allows those with a drug use problem access to a safe, clean space to use drugs they bring themselves.

In its first year the Glasgow centre was accessed 11,348 times and used for 7,827 injections of illegal drugs.

Staff on site also managed 93 medical emergencies.

And the centre referred 612 people to other services, such as housing, in a bid to get them off drugs.

The Scottish government committed to making up to £2.3m available annually for The Thistle, which is overseen by Glasgow City Integration Joint Board.

The consultation period will help to inform whether a formal business case to establish a facility will be developed for the Scottish government for a final decision.

There is no confirmed site for the facility but research found the Old Town, around Cowgate, or Spittal Street as potential contenders.

The proposed facility would be located either in the same building as, or very near to, a homeless day centre or service providing treatment for drug addiction.

In the last three years the report said there had been 36 drug-related deaths within a 15-minute walk of Spittal Street and 34 within a similar proximity to the Cowgate

It is not possible to estimate the cost of the project until a final site is chosen.

Christine Laverty, chief officer of the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said every drug death was a tragedy and work must continue to reduce fatalities.

She said: "There has long been calls for a safer drug consumption facility in Edinburgh.

"Research suggests that this type of facility would reduce drug-related harm and, crucially, reduce the number of fatal overdoses."

Laverty added: "We are keen to hear from a wide range of people which will help us to shape any business case for a safer drug consumption facility in Edinburgh."