Call for Evidence

The Committee would like to hear your views. We welcome written submissions from anyone with answers to any or all of the questions set out in the following terms of reference:

1. Why is a pilot Safer Drugs Consumption Facility (SDCF) being opened in Glasgow, and how is it intended to reduce harm from problem drug use in the area?

• What were the key legal, policy and political barriers to opening the pilot facility?

• How can the medical effectiveness or impacts of the pilot facility be measured, and what does ‘success’ look like?

• What lessons can be learned from international contexts, when considering the medical effectiveness of the facility?

2. What is the current legal position of the SDCF in Glasgow?

• Is the SDCF’s current legal position sustainable to enable the effective operation of the facility in the long-term?

• How would the Lord Advocate’s decision that it would “not be in the public interest” to prosecute users or facilitators of Glasgow’s SDCF operate in practice?

• What issues could be presented by the facility’s current legal position, including in respect of civil liability?

• What implications does the facility have for local policing?

3. What does a long-term, sustainable legal framework for a SDCF look like?

• What legal and/or policy changes would be required from the UK Government to implement such a model?

• What lessons can be learned from international contexts, when considering a sustainable legal model for a SDCF?

The Committee values diversity and seeks to ensure this where possible. We encourage members of underrepresented groups to submit written evidence.

The Committee calls for evidence to be submitted by 3 February 2025.