The Scottish Affairs Committee today publishes the UK Government's
response to its report on
Glasgow's pilot Safer Drug Consumption
Facility (SDCF), known as The Thistle.
In its September 2025 report, the cross-party committee
urged the UK Government to take an evidence-based approach to
drugs policy to effectively tackle drug related
harms in Scotland. If The Thistle was found to be
effective and made permanent at the end of its three-year pilot,
the committee recommended that
the UK Government should make the necessary
changes to reserved legislation to create a new legal
framework for SDCFs in Scotland.
In its response to the report, the UK
Government committed to taking
an evidence-based approach towards
drugs policy. Despite this,
it reiterated its view that, regardless of
the results of the independent evaluation of the The
Thistle, it had “no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act”
to enable the operation of SDCFs in the UK.
The UK Government did, however, follow the committee's
recommendation to “urgently complete its assessment of
The Thistle for a drug checking license” and agreed to
share details of the progress
of the application for a drug
checking license on the same site. The UK
Government confirmed that the Home Office controlled
drug license for Glasgow's drug checking service was issued in
October. With this, Glasgow will become the the first city
in Scotland where people can legally test drugs for dangerous
contaminants.
, Chair of the Scottish
Affairs Committee, said:
“We welcome the news that the government has moved
ahead with issuing a drug checking license in Glasgow, as
our report recommended. Glasgow is at the epicentre of
Scotland's record-high drug-death
rate. This license, the first in Scotland,
will grant support services a better understanding
of new drug
trends, and ultimately help reduce
drug-related harms and deaths across the city.
“However, we're disappointed that the UK Government
continues to dismiss the possibility of amending drugs
legislation to put The Thistle in a
sustainable legal position, regardless of
whether it's a success. Throughout our inquiry,
the committee was told that the facility's current
legal footing is precarious and not a substitute for proper
regulation. Given the scale of Scotland's crisis, the UK
Government shouldn't take any option that
could help reduce deaths off the
table.
“The UK Government needs to follow the evidence, and I
urge them again to not make any final decisions on The
Thistle until its effectiveness
is properly assessed by the independent
evaluation. In the meantime, until its pilot ends, the
committee will continue to closely follow The
Thistle and its progress.”
