Agenda item

That Council;

1.      Notes the Lord Advocate’s statement “that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot safer drugs consumption facility.”

2.      Agrees that safer drug consumption facilities are an important public health measure that could save lives, and supports all options within the existing legal framework being explored to enable the delivery of these facilities to prevent overdoses and reduce harm.

3.      Notes the Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy, on 19 September 2023 in the Scottish Parliament, stated “In the past two years, the University of Stirling has undertaken work to look at how we could roll out a drug-checking pilot within Scotland. During that research phase, several potential locations were identified. We know that Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee have expressed their wish to be part of the pilot. The research was published at the end of July and we are now helping those areas to apply for licences. We await a final communication from the United Kingdom Home Office that will help us to ensure that those licensing applications can go in and will be met with the most sympathetic ear possible.”

4.      Welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling drug harm as part of a public health approach and will work with partners to support and assist in applications for drug-checking facilities being made available in Aberdeen.

5.      Instructs the Chief Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership to engage with relevant partners, in particular, the Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, to support delivery of a drug-checking pilot in Aberdeen.

6.      Encourages all Council Members, where comfortable to do so, to be trained and carry naloxone during their councillor duties, in the event that they encounter a member of the public in an overdose situation and to promote naloxone within their communities.

7.      Instructs the Chief Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership to report to the Aberdeen City Integration Joint Board by March 2024 on the progress of those discussions with partner agencies, the Scottish Government and Home Office.

The Council had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Cooke in the following terms:-

            That Council:

1.      Notes the Lord Advocate’s statement “that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot safer drugs consumption facility.”

2.      Agrees that safer drug consumption facilities are an important public health measure that could save lives, and supports all options within the existing legal framework being explored to enable the delivery of these facilities to prevent overdoses and reduce harm.

3.      Notes the Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy, on 19 September 2023 in the Scottish Parliament, stated “In the past two years, the University of Stirling has undertaken work to look at how we could roll out a drug-checking pilot within Scotland. During that research phase, several potential locations were identified. We know that Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee have expressed their wish to be part of the pilot. The research was published at the end of July and we are now helping those areas to apply for licences. We await a final communication from the United Kingdom Home Office that will help us to ensure that those licensing applications can go in and will be met with the most sympathetic ear possible.”

4.      Welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling drug harm as part of a public health approach and will work with partners to support and assist in applications for drug-checking facilities being made available in Aberdeen.

5.      Instructs the Chief Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership to engage with relevant partners, in particular, the Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, to support delivery of a drug-checking pilot in Aberdeen.

6.      Encourages all Council Members, where comfortable to do so, to be trained and carry naloxone during their councillor duties, in the event that they encounter a member of the public in an overdose situation and to promote naloxone within their communities.

7.      Instructs the Chief Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership to report to the Aberdeen City Integration Joint Board by March 2024 on the progress of those discussions with partner agencies, the Scottish Government and Home Office.

Councillor Cooke moved, seconded by Councillor McRae:-

            That the Council -

1.      note the Lord Advocate’s statement “that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot safer drugs consumption facility.”

2.      agree that safer drug consumption and drug checking facilities could be an important public health measure that could save lives, and support all options within the existing legal framework being explored to enable the delivery of these facilities to prevent overdoses and reduce harm;

3.      note the Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy, on 19 September 2023 in the Scottish Parliament, stated “In the past two years, the University of Stirling has undertaken work to look at how we could roll out a drug-checking pilot within Scotland. During that research phase, several potential locations were identified. We know that Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee have expressed their wish to be part of the pilot. The research was published at the end of July and we are now helping those areas to apply for licences. We await a final communication from the United Kingdom Home Office that will help us to ensure that those licensing applications can go in and will be met with the most sympathetic ear possible”;

4.      instruct the Chief Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership to report back with the results of the Glasgow pilot scheme and collate any available peer reviewed data following 12 months of operation of the facility to inform Council of the progress and set out options for Aberdeen;

5.      recognise that tackling drug harm is part of a public health approach to the challenge of drug use and therefore agree to work with partners to support and assist applications for drug-checking facilities in Aberdeen;

6.      encourage all Council Members, where comfortable to do so, to be trained and carry naloxone during their Councillor duties, in the event that they encounter a member of the public in an overdose situation and to promote naloxone within their communities; and

7.      instruct the Chief Officer - Health and Social Care Partnership to report to the Aberdeen City Integration Joint Board by March 2024 on the progress of those discussions with partner agencies, the Scottish Government and Home Office.

Councillor Malik moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Ali:-

            That the Council -

1.    note the Lord Advocate’s Statement that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot drug consumption facility;

2.    agree this statement from the Lord Advocate was issued because at its peak 1,339 people died from taking drugs in Scotland which is three people every day leaving Scotland as by far the highest rate of any country in Europe for drug deaths, a record not to be proud of;

3.    agree the SNP’s decision to turn action on Scotland’s drugs deaths crisis into a constitutional fight has cost lives and delayed progress as the decision by the Lord Advocate demonstrates that the SNP could have acted sooner to implement safe consumption;

4.    agree the SNP has cut Alcohol and Drug Partnerships by some £46.3million in real terms;

5.    agree Scotland’s drugs deaths crisis is a national shame, with thousands of lives needlessly lost with the SNP cutting drug and alcohol beds and turned the whole issue into a needless constitutional bunfight; and

6.    encourage all Council Members, where comfortable to do so, to be trained and carry naloxone during their councillor duties, in the event that they encounter a member of the public in an overdose situation and to promote naloxone within their communities. 

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (27)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Bouse, Brooks, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Fairfull, Farquhar, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McLeod, McRae, Massey, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For the amendment  (10)  -  Councillors Ali, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Lawrence, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson and Watson.

Absent from the division  (3)  -  Councillors Davidson, Nicoll and Tissera.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.