Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on opening an inhalation room in The Thistle safer drug consumption facility, and how much it estimates this would cost.
The position of the Scottish Government is that any intervention proven to save lives and reduce harms, such as an inhalation room, should be considered on its merits.
We would support a proposal from The Thistle facility to the Lord Advocate for the introduction of such an inhalation space. However, the ability to progress such a development remains constrained by the current legal framework under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the limits of the Lord Advocate’s prosecutorial discretion.
At this stage no cost estimate has been provided as no formal proposal for the inclusion of an inhalation room has yet been submitted by the Thistle.