The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7402 p615
27 May 2006

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Pilot of drug consumption rooms recommended by charity

Drug consumption rooms — where dependent drug users can self-administer under supervised, hygienic conditions — can prevent drug-related death and improve the general health of drug misusers, and should be piloted in the UK, according to a report released this week.

The report lays out the findings of the Independent Working Group on Drug Consumption Rooms, which was set up by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (a social policy research and development charity) to investigate what impact drug consumption rooms could have on drug-related problems in the UK.

The group concludes that the rooms may “offer a unique and promising way to work with the most problematic users, in order to reduce the risk of overdose, improve their health and lessen the damage and costs to society”.