A SAFER drug consumption room in Glasgow has been fiercely defended by the Lord Advocate in Westminster.
Dorothy Bain KC faced questions at the Scottish Affairs Committee, where she backed the legal framework that The Thistle on Hunter Street, Glasgow, operates within.
Bain repeatedly assured the committee that the centre operates "within the law" after being questioned on the statement of prosecution policy — something which tells prosecutors how to consider the public interest when deciding whether or how to pursue a case — created for The Thistle.
She said: "In this context, it’s a statement that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute users of the Glasgow safer drug consumption facility for possession of drugs for personal use.”
Bain was grilled on the decision to allow drug laws to be slightly altered on the centre's premises, with ministers questioning why the statement only covered possession offences.
The Lord Advocate explained it would not have been “lawful to provide a wide ranging statement that wasn’t readily understood”, adding that she hoped the statement could provide confidence that individuals looking for support from the facility can do so “without the risk of prosecution”.
When asked about the Home Office’s position on safe drug consumption rooms — which is that there is “no lawful basis” for them to exist in the UK — Bain doubled down on her defence of the Thistle.
Read more: Norovirus outbreak closes all wards in Highlands hospital
She said: “Central to my consideration, as the Lord Advocate, of the request was that the facility would be co-located with other services which, taken together, may be able to offer a range of care, support and assistance to those consuming drugs.
"Although I’m aware it’s not the main aim of the proposed facility, my understanding and the apparent reality is that the facility could cover, over time and in some cases, the necessary resources to assist vulnerable individuals into recovery.”
Bain also acknowledged the wider risks to communities around the centre, noting that any criminal activity related to drug consumption outwith its premises would remain subject to the same prosecutorial and police responses “one would expect in any other circumstance”.
Read more: Murder investigation launched after man found dead in Glasgow
"I am content that the proposed facility could provide a mechanism to engage with some of the most vulnerable people in our society", she said.
"We’re not changing the law — the law remains.
"It’s just a statement that those in possession of drugs looking for help aren’t going to be prosecuted."
