Introduction
Recent legislation passed in Glasgow will open the Scotland’s first ever facility which offers heroin addicts a safe space and medical attention. The facility will not act as a rehabilitation center; instead it will provide on-site medical professionals and equipment to aid in the injection of heroin. The facility will provide medical-grade heroin to certain patrons, and aims to reduce the number of deaths directly related to unsanitary injection methods.
Importance
Heroin-related deaths are most often attributed to over dosage, and infection based illness through contaminated needle usage. The currently estimated number of heroin users within Glasgow city limits is roughly 500 active users. Recent outbreaks of infectious disease deaths, as well as a severe HIV outbreak, lead Glasgow board members to look for prevention methods. The concept of a facility in which drug users can continue their habit under medical supervision, often referred to as a “shooting gallery” or “supervised injection site,” is not original to the Glasgow. Current records show as many as 65 operating facilities, across eight countries, including Canada. The results of effectiveness of the facilities have been found to reduce: decease transmission, overall mortality of active heroin addicts, and usage in public places.
Conclusion
The debate over “supervised injection sites” is rooted in the idea that it would encourage the usage of heroin. While some may see the supervision of medical professionals as incentive to utilize the facility, it does not provide incentive to begin abusing the drug. Heroin users, as a population, are decreasing over the past decades, as the awareness of the dangers of heroin increase. The aging community of active heroin users averages significantly lower annual incomes than the general public, many users currently experiencing unemployment and homelessness. This lack of money explains the neglectful sanitary procedures associated with injection by syringe. While the facilities may not lower the number of heroin users within the cities, they are reducing the dangers linked to heroin addiction.