Questions must be teased out over drug consumption rooms, says UK minister

The UK Government has repeatedly rejected the idea of safe consumption rooms.

The policing minister appeared before a joint meeting of Holyrood committees on Tuesday (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Questions need to be “teased out” for drug consumption rooms to be opened in Scotland a UK Government minister has said.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse was appearing in front of a special joint committee on drug deaths on Tuesday, where he urged MSPs to instead focus on healthcare and drug rehabilitation to tackle the drug deaths crisis in Scotland.

Official figures released last year showed that 1,339 Scots lost their lives in 2020 as a direct result of drugs.

Consumption rooms have long been touted as a possible measure to be put in place to stem the rise in deaths.

The facilities would allow for those struggling with addiction to take drugs while under medical supervision and with access to signposting to services such as rehabilitation and housing support.

But the UK Government has rejected the plans, refusing to grant an exemption to drugs legislation that would free users and staff from criminalisation.

During the session, Mr Malthouse delved deeper into potential legal issues that could arise from the opening of such facilities.

If someone were to be in possession of drugs, Mr Malthouse said, then they may be arrested while on their way to the facility to take them.

There are lots and lots of practical issues that would take time to work through even if we were to step over that line

Kit Malthouse

The minister also raised the possibility of an overdose while using the drug consumption room, and whether a member of staff may be liable or whether someone selling drugs outside a consumption room would be committing a crime.

“There are lots and lots of practical issues that would take time to work through even if we were to step over that line,” he said.

“The problem, in my view, is so urgent in Scotland as it is in England and Wales, the numbers are so high, that actually we will achieve much more by focusing down hard on rolling out strong and assertive health intervention.”

He added: “If you’ve got a solution to those practical and legal problems that I’ve enunciated, by all means let us know.

“My view is that (consumption rooms) were missing the wider point… which is truly to solve this problem we need a wider, much more extensive and assertive health and rehabilitation approach.

“Now happily, more investment is going into that in Scotland.”

The session, which brought together the criminal justice, health, social care and sport and social justice and social security committees at Holyrood, will take evidence from drugs policy minister Angela Constance as well as David Strang – the new chairman of the drug deaths taskforce – on Wednesday.