Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said:
“The UK Government came to Glasgow simply to dismiss international expert evidence and the voices of those with lived experiences, frontline clinicians and social care professionals as a ‘distraction’.
“Even before the event commenced Mr Malthouse announced that a more assertive law and order approach was the solution to our drugs emergency. That is not the ‘open mind’ he promised to bring to Glasgow.
“We will continue to urge the UK government to move away from its rigid criminalisation of addiction, which does nothing to address the underlying causes and ultimately contributes to loss of lives in our city.
“We know the solutions to addiction are multi-faceted and long term and that a safer drug consumption facility, is an urgently needed addition to our existing core, mainstream treatment and care services.
“Glasgow has a democratic mandate, the public support and the expert and clinical capacity to deliver a facility. Our priority is saving lives in our city.”
