An investigation into drug consumption rooms: Would they be beneficial if introduced throughout the UK?

Abstract

The following literature review presents an investigation into the individual and community impact of drug consumption rooms globally. The injecting of drugs is a global public health issue not only affecting the individual by partaking in risky behaviours but the wider community with effects of public nuisance, open drug scenes and public order issues. In a harm reduction attempt to combat these issues drug consumption rooms were first introduced in Berne Switzerland 1986, and since then drug consumption rooms have become more widely accepted as a successful harm reduction initiative with over 100 facilities globally. Whilst there has been research globally investigating the success and effects of drug consumption rooms there are still many barriers and laws and policies in place slowing down the introduction of these facilities. The approval of the drug consumption room in Scotland in September 2023 brought wide attention to local news outlets and sparked a conversation within communities. This provides a significant opportunity for reliable information on the effects of drug consumption rooms to be conveyed to the public and raise awareness to build support for these facilities and further trust throughout communities.

There are many factors affecting how successful a drug consumption room is to the individual and wider community, many of these factors are reviewed throughout this dissertation. The evidence highly suggests the success of drug consumption rooms depends on legislative barriers to get them running effectively, trust between clients and staff to build access to services and repeat clients all resulting in lower spread of disease, risky behaviours, public nuisance, and overall harm reduction. There are recommendations made for whether drug consumption rooms should be more widely introduced throughout the UK. By following the recommendations made, harm reduction will continue throughout the UK and globally.