Drug Consumption Rooms: A Welsh Response

Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs) can go by multiple names including: Medically Supervised Injecting Centres (MSIC); Supervised Injecting Facilities; Supervised Injecting Services; Community Health Engagement Locations (CHELs); and what they intend to be called in Wales, Enhanced Harm Reduction Centres (EHRCs). For the simplicity of this report, I will only use the DCR terminology, that will encapsulate all the other names. DCRs have been a part of the harm reduction movement within the substance use field since the mid 1980’s with the first such facility opening in Bern, Switzerland in 1986. Of the 123 DCRs that are currently operational worldwide, the majority are based within Europe. Australia and Canada are the hosts to DCRs outside of Europe. Closer to home, discussions regarding establishing a DCR in both Dublin and Glasgow are ongoing.
Within a DCR, people can use illicit drugs under the supervision of trained staff. The way these drugs can be administered depends on the model of the DCR; some facilities only allow injecting whereas others also provide areas for inhalation of substances. Different services may be available at other DCRs, with further explanation in section 7.1 but all DCRs provide clean equipment for people to administer their substances (e.g. needles, syringes, cookers etc). Most DCRs also provide naloxone on site (legislation permitting).