Drug expert recommends heroin 'shooting galleries'

Published on Saturday 8 March 2008 18:39

A LEADING drugs expert will this week recommend that 'shooting galleries' are set up in Scotland to allow heroin addicts to inject drugs safely.

Larry Campbell, a Canadian senator, believes a similar scheme in Vancouver has saved many drug addicts' lives and cut the risk of infections from dirty needles.

At one state-funded clinic in Vancouver, addicts bring their own drugs and are given clean needles to inject, overseen by nurses who can monitor them for signs of an overdose.

The injecting rooms allow addicts to take illegal hard drugs without fear of arrest.

Campbell plans to lay out his idea on Wednesday at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament's Futures Forum, which is preparing a report on new ways of tackling Scotland's drug and alcohol problems.

He said last night: "We have set up a supervised injection site. Our approach has meant we have 7,000 drug-users registered and 400 overdoses have taken place at the site but not a single person has died. People can be treated by medical staff in the clinic. It's not without its controversy in Canada but it's a health clinic.

"This was set up to prevent the spread of disease through dirty needles. The fact that no-one has died is an amazing record. I can state unequivocally that people are alive as a result of this clinic. We have also made referrals to addiction counselling and treatment. Drug-users can register under a false name and they are given a dish that contains a swab, syringe and antiseptic wipe.

"It's something that should be considered in Scotland alongside prevention, treatment and enforcement. It lessens public disorder."

Similar clinics exist in Switzerland, Australia and the Netherlands, and there are growing calls for the introduction of them in Scotland.