UK’s first drugs consumption room to open in October

He said the facility would help “reduce fatal and non-fatal overdoses” by providing a safe and clean place to use drugs under the supervision of medical staff.

“Glasgow has well-established alcohol and drug recovery services that work effectively with the city’s high number of problem drug users, however people with problematic alcohol and drug use experience significant challenges which puts their health and well-being at considerable risk,” he said.

“It’s still widely recognised that involvement in a treatment programme substantially improves someone’s chances of getting the right support mechanisms in place to help them begin their recovery.

“The range of interventions and services we have in the city are all designed to help those most at risk and address the main harms we are seeing among the most vulnerable drug users.”

The space has booths for up to eight people to safely inject heroin or other drugs at any one time.

A proposal for a room where they can smoke illegal substances was removed from the original plans due to legal issues posed by Scottish anti-smoking legislation as well as technical challenges with ventilation and filtration.

Last year the lord advocate confirmed it would not be in the public interest to prosecute users of drug consumption rooms for simple possession offences.

The facility is part of a wider move by the Scottish government to tackle the drug death crisis which is claiming more lives per head than anywhere else in Europe.

It has agreed to make up to £2.3m a year available for the pilot.