First drug consumption room may soon open in Britain

A study conducted by order of a city council in southeastern Britain has recommended the opening of so-called drug consumption rooms as a measure to reduce the number of drug-related deaths in the city, BBC reports.

Such rooms where people could inject drugs under medical supervision and get access to treatment programs already exist in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Spain, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands, the study says.

Drug-taking on the streets has long been a problem for the southeastern British city of Brighton. Similar problems existing in other countries have been if not tackled, at least reduced to a certain extent through opening drug consumption rooms, the study claims.
The first drug consumption room was opened in Bern, Switzerland, in 1986. It was fully sanctioned and launched by health workers, who argued such places were a better alternative to streets where drug-taking was typically associated with high health risks. Besides, in such places people can obtain necessary information on treatment, if they need it. Any form of drug-dealing is prohibited in such places. Only dependent drug users above 18 years old and with official documentation are allowed. No casual users are allowed.

In Canada there is only one drug consumption room, which is operating under a special exemption to the country’s legislation. The exemption was added by the Canadian Supreme Court and cancelled the country’s health minister’s earlier decision on closing the facility.

In the Netherlands there are 37 legal consumption rooms in 25 different cities. People using injecting rooms have to obey a strict rule on how long a user can spend there.

Opponents to drug consumption rooms say the policy is harmful, as it encourages drug addicts to continue their lifestyle and puts forward a dubious argument that health risks reduction can be achieved through a better care provision.