Needles Hotspot History Known Says Council Chief Allan Casey

Allan Casey talked about the Thistle. He leads on homelessness and addiction services. He criticized “disinformation” around the facility, which is a safer drug consumption site that opened last month.

Thomas Kerr spoke about a “horrific” situation that he said residents now face. He blamed the new drug facility and wants a cleanup done quickly. Kerr recently joined Reform UK and was Glasgow’s Conservative leader.

Needles were seen near Morrisons’ car park. A reporter saw them in the bushes when they visited.

Casey stated the council knew about injecting, which had been happening at that site for years. Regular clean-ups were actually carried out. He said no increase exists in needles since the Thistle opened.

Casey responded to Kerr’s comments directly, stating they have years of evidence that the site had problems before opening. That’s a major reason for the location, as it needed to be where injecting happened already.

Casey said the recycling point got removed at the Morrisons off Gallowgate. Landowners must maintain their property themselves. Council staff check the area regularly due to the public health risk involved.

Casey noted it is too early for hard data, but he hopes the number of needles will go down. However, he has heard positive things informally, with people sharing good news. An evaluation of the Thistle is happening.

Casey posted online about the matter, thinking some people are misinformed and believe injecting is new there. People are using the facility more each week.

Casey thinks this is a very good sign overall. People reduce harm by injecting safely and avoid risky public places. Some still choose to inject in public, and Casey hopes they trust the Thistle soon.