PLANS to open a controversial 'safe injecting' facility for drug addicts have moved a step closer after an MP launched a bill seeking to have one established in Glasgow.
SNP MP Alison Thewliss has launched a private members bill in a bid to change the law and enable a pilot scheme to be opened in Scotland's largest city.
There were 867 drugs deaths in Scotland in 2016 - a rise of 23 per cent from the previous year - including 160 in Glasgow, and Ms Thewliss said that a Safe Drug Consumption Facility (SDCFs) could help alleviate this.
Addicts would be allowed to sue drugs on the premises without fear of prosecution and in a safe and controlled environment.
In recent months, proposals for a SDCF have gathered cross party support from MPs at Westminster and a majority of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, as well as the unanimous backing of councillors at Glasgow City Council.
The MP said: “The weight of evidence in support of a Safe Drugs Consumption Facility has never been more compelling. There are approximately 500 people actively injecting drugs in Glasgow City Centre, and recent reports describe the unprecedented HIV outbreak in the city as out of control.
"What’s more, I am greatly concerned for the safety of my constituents as a result of needles left in bin sheds, closes and back lanes.
“Recent debates in the Scottish Parliament and Glasgow City Council have demonstrated a clear desire for the introduction of a safe drug consumption facility, with support from all parties, including members of the Conservative Party.
"My Bill will take new steps to enable drug addiction to be treated as a public health issue, whilst ensuring that criminal activity from illegal drugs continues to be robustly tackled by the police."
She added: “People are dying on the streets of my constituency, and the risk to the general public from discarded needles and transmission of blood borne diseases is very real. The only remaining barrier to doing something different is the Home Office’s unwillingness to grant an exemption.
“Perhaps if the Home Secretary visited my constituency, and witnessed the perilousness of the situation for her herself, she could be more easily persuaded. Others, it seems, are already convinced”
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