48 hours in the first drug injection room in the United Kingdom

The alarm is not in the first drug consumption room in the United Kingdom.

A man in his thirties has an overdose in “space use” – a room at the Glasgow facility where nurses oversee injections in eight kiosks.

He had only reached the minutes before the minutes, and won the search by the police over Galogit.

Employees rush to help, and bring him from his seat to a broken mat on the ground.

The cinema crew is removed from the area while an ambulance is called and the employees are working to save his life.

Eddie Kerney, a factor in reducing damage, tells us that the man has already used drugs three times on that day.

“He uses” snowball “, and he uses heroin and cocaine.

“There were two minutes on the ground.”

We imagine at the center after giving it two days of exclusive arrival to the leading and controversial consumption room.

Less than an hour later, the alarm appears again to another man in his thirties.

He had led to the reception by the workers from a charity, then made his way to the stalls to inject heroin.

Lin McDonald, the service manager, tells us that it is another medical emergency.

“In the first four weeks, there were no medical conditions, then this week we had five.

“A group of drugs may be a problem. People notice a difference in heroin when they make it, saying they are noticing a green smear for it.”

She says more paramedics are on their way.

Both men are brought using a reversible naluxon, before the paramedics see. The second is transferred to the hospital.

Lin McDonald later told us: “I am fully convinced that we were not present during the extra doses that we saw inside the thorns, then people had not survived.”

Within 12 weeks since the opening of the thorns at the eastern end of Glasgow, there have been 16 overdose.

A total of 180 people visited the unit, and more than 1,200 injections of heroin and cocaine that were purchased from the streets were supervised.

A total of 27 people have been referred to other services, including housing, by employees.

The service, which follows similar programs in 18 other countries, seeks to reduce drug -related harm in a group of hard -line populations to inject users in one of the most deprived societies in Glasgow.

It is hoped that by providing a safer space, it will allow medical employees to prevent the death of the extra dose, reduce viruses that are transported by blood and cleaning a local area, historically, had a big problem with neglected needles and drugs.

David Clark uses drugs for 26 years and spent long periods of his life in the streets.

BBC Scotland allowed his progress over three months while trying to move from the city center and stop using heroin and cocaine.

The 47 -year -old told the disclosure that he used thorns to inject cocaine in February.

From there, employees refer to the new subsidized accommodation. At the time of his interview, he was refraining from refraining for two weeks.

He said: “When I went [to the consumption room]It was not what I expected.

“I thought you would enter, do what you are doing and outside. But this is not like this.

“Employee members have supported me and help me reach where I am now.

“This has helped me wide. I feel better for myself.”

During our visit in early March, we met James – not his real name – who was pumping drugs for several years. Now in the mid -twenties, he was among the first to attend the thorns.

He says the facility is “great”.

“It’s safer. I was going to parking lots, and the side of railways, and forests – wherever I can feel safe enough to do this without being arrested.”

He admitted that drug use in public places was dangerous. “Especially on my own, too. I have led to reverse times.”

The center is still controversial in a nearby Calton community.

During the consultation meetings held before giving the project, the locals expressed their concerns that the area will become a drug that carries drugs and fears that the increased drug trade in the streets will encourage.

Linda Watson, one of the most voice population, said the center was already attracting more people to the area to use drugs.

She took the detection on a tour of Calton known to use the sites and said there was evidence of newly disposed needles.

Linda also expressed their anger at the lack of investment in the region.

“When we were going to meetings at the beginning, drug workers were:” We are providing a facility for your community, and this will make your community better. “

“But not for people who live in our society. It is for people who come to our society to buy drugs, take drugs and leave all these things.

Why do they not help us not to happen in the first place? Why should we accept that this is what this place will be all the time?

“Are we not worthy of that?”

Dr. Sake Breradarshi, Assistant Medical Director for Pharmaceutical Services at NHS Great Glasgow and Clyde, said that the drug consumption room was not only present to meet the health needs of people who use the service.

“This will also improve the social environment of societies, residents, companies and visitors to these areas,” he said.

“We hope that thorns will reduce the drug -related death rates for the population. But this is a relatively small number compared to Scotland as a whole.

“Her contribution to national drug death figures will not be very large. We have to be honest in it.”

Dr. Presrachi said that much anger emanates from the society related to the lack of resources for other services in the region.

He added: “Sometimes I am concerned that focusing on residential rehabilitation rooms or drug consumption, and focusing on discussions and discussions on this topic, our eyes come out of the largest image.”

“What are the main engines here? The main drivers are societies that suffer from high levels of deprivation and inequality that suffer from the highest drug death rates and drug -related damage.”

The consumption room was suggested for the first time in 2017 as a response to the HIV spread between the drug -injecting drugs, the worst seen in the UK for 30 years.

The health authorities had hoped to provide a sterile place for users to inject it that would reduce the risk of blood transfers.

However, the planned critics said that more money should be saved for other recovery services.

The style lawyer James Wolf at the time rejected the proposals, which were rejected by the UK Ministry of Interior.

The plan was revived in 2021 when the Scottish government announced its national mission to reduce the total deaths in the country.

After the changes in the prosecution policy, which allowed users to bring drugs to the center without fear of charges, the center was approved in September 2023.

It will cost 2.3 million pounds annually, as money is offered by the Scottish government during a three -year experimental period.

The government says it is part of a set of measures that are entered to treat drug deaths in Scotland, which has the highest registered death rate in Europe.

The final report on the total impact of the unit is due after the end of the experimental period in 2028.

• Participated in additional reports by Kevin Anderson and Katie McFini

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