Professor John Robertson OBA
In the Herald today, the above and:
Health Secretary Neil Gray is under pressure to apologise after an official briefing prepared for him included claims that residents in Glasgow’s East End have spread misinformation about the city’s drug consumption room.
The internal paper — released under Freedom of Information laws to the Scottish Conservatives — was drawn up by Scottish Government officials ahead of Mr Gray’s appearance before the Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee in June, as part of its inquiry into “Problem Drug Use in Scotland” and the Thistle pilot facility in Calton.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25566391.neil-gray-urged-apologise-glasgow-drug-room-briefing/
Who is urging the apology? You won’t be surprised:
What is the apology wanted for? What is the nature of the alleged insult to ‘locals?’
What is the evidence on the extent to which the centre has increased or reduced the number of discarded needles found outside the centre?
First, from US-based international news agency CNN in July 2025, which unlike most Scottish media is wholly impartial on this:
“We’ve had almost 2,500 injections inside the facility,” Dr. Saket Priyadarshi, the clinical lead of the Thistle, told a CNN team who visited the facility in early June. “That’s 2,500 less injections in the community, in parks, alleyways, car parks.”
The Scottish government told CNN that the service has already delivered results in terms of public health.
“Through the ability of staff to respond quickly in the event of an overdose, the Thistle service has already saved lives,” Scottish health secretary Neil Gray said. The service, he said, is “helping to protect people against blood-borne viruses and taking used needles off the street.”
The idea itself is not new.
The world’s first safer drug consumption room opened in Switzerland in 1986 -– a clinical counterpoint to street-level chaos. Since then, the model has spread across Europe, from Portugal and the Netherlands to Germany, Denmark and Spain, and beyond to Canada and New York City.
Still, resistance remains. CNN spoke to several people in the area who were concerned about the facility’s opening and said it had encouraged more drug users to come to the area in the six months since opening.
Others, however, told CNN that they had noticed there were fewer needles and less discarded drug paraphernalia on the ground since the clinic opened.
Regular critic, herself in recovery, Annemarie Ward, does get several paragraphs but what’s different here, to most Scottish media coverage, is the reference to Europe-wide research in favour of these facilities, an expert medic and the SNP health secretary being able to provide the numbers and no space for the likes of Jackie Baillie to muddy the waters.
Most striking is that CNN have found some locals saying there are fewer needles lying around. You have to wonder how they did that when BBC Scotland, STV, the Herald, the Scotsman and the Daily Record can only ever find folk saying the opposite. Does this mean that the CNN journalists are better or worse at their jobs than their Scottish equivalents?
Second, a source with a flat in a block 10-15 minutes from the the United Kingdom’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility, The Thistle, in Glasgow, has a very different story to tell from that gathered by BBC Scotland, based on one group of residents, suggesting a counter-intuitive increase in drug taking and anti-social behaviour near the facility.
My source has this to say:
I am on the WhatsApp group for the owners and tenants and for years now the main chat was about drug dealing, discarded needles, drug taking and anti social behaviour around the building and sometimes in the close and lower level car park. The police were also called on occasions about the problems.
Almost as soon as the Thistle opened there has been no chat at all on the WhatsApp group about any of the above. As an owner we have to pay a company through the factor to to have the discarded needles , drug paraphernalia and other filth removed .
I checked my factors bill from from July 2024 – December 2024, the owners paid out over £2,500 ( £64 each) to have needles, drug paraphernalia etc removed from the site and this was on 18 occasions.
I am trying to get this information from the factor from January 2025 but I am not having much luck with them. I am assuming that there should be almost nothing to dispose of, based on the WhatsApp chat but I will wait until I see the bill.
It looks like apart from reducing drug deaths etc it has cleaned up the area around our flat, made the area safer and reduced calls to the police. I was at a meeting a few years back and the owners of flats in other buildings in the area were complaining of similar issues, so I am assuming that they have had a positive impact too.
Finally, multiple research studies across Europe have clearly demonstrated significant reductions in drug deaths and crime around more than 300 such facilities, over the last 7 years:
https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2019-01/180320atisn12038doc2_0.pdf
You have to wonder just how BBC Scotland managed to find evidence contrary to these multiple research reports. Makes you wonder if they have a political agenda and complete disregard for the truth.
You can still support Talking-up Scotland at any time at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method - Bernadette/John Robertson, Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
As I am sure you are well aware John, the B.B.C, and in particular B.B.C Scotland News, have a political agenda, and an almost complete disregard for the truth. This, coupled with a corrupt print media, is a blatant attempt to poison the minds of the Scottish people against an Independence minded Scottish Government, who in fact, as you continually point out, are doing a far better job than any of the other home nations, covering a whole range of responsibilities.
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