Scotland's drug crisis: Boris Johnson 'anxious' about safe consumption rooms

The Prime Minister has described Scotland’s drugs deaths toll as an “appalling blight” but said there were too many questions about safe consumption rooms as proposed by the Scottish Government, to give them the green light.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Chief Constable Iain Livingstone as he meets officers during a visit to the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan near Kincardine, Fife.

More than 1300 Scots died last year as a result of drugs misuse, the seventh year the numbers had risen, and another record total which saw Scotland remain top of a grim European league table.

Nicola Sturgeon and her drugs policy minister, Angela Constance, have said that the introduction of safe consumption rooms could help reduce the death toll, but criminal drugs policy is reserved to Westminster and the Conservatives have not supported the introduction of the facilities.

The rooms are professionally supervised healthcare facilities where addicts can consume drugs in safer conditions, and evidence from other countries suggest they reduce death numbers as they reach those who use on the streets or in other risky and unhygienic conditions.

However during his visit to Scotland Boris Johnson expressed his continued reservations about the idea.

“I think that the number of drug deaths in Scotland is absolutely tragic and across the whole country, particularly, obviously, in Scotland, and it's an appalling blight on our country and a tragedy for so many families, but I think that what we’ve got to do is make sure that we deal with the problem sensitively and humanely, try to help people off drugs to deal with their addictions.

“We also need to crack down on the county lines drugs gangs, but I think that [there are] legitimate questions to be asked about measures that might encourage more consumption of drugs, let me put it that way.

"That's my anxiety about that particular solution. I'm not instinctively attracted to something that might lead to more consumption of drugs.”

Pressed on what the questions might be he added: "I am anxious about something that might lead to more consumption of drugs, rather than less, that's my anxiety.

UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also said he does not favour the facilities, although Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney is planning to bring a member’s bill to Holyrood in an attempt to ensure their introduction.

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