MPs have concluded that UK drug laws must be reformed and a safe consumption room pilot should take place in Glasgow – backing long-ignored calls by SNP ministers at Holyrood.

The Scottish Government has been pressing for a safe consumption facility to be set up, with efforts on this having so far been blocked by Westminster.

But the Commons Home Affairs Committee has now published a report recommending a pilot in Glasgow is supported by Westminster and jointly funded by both of Scotland’s governments.

If the UK Government remains unwilling to support the pilot, the power to establish it should be devolved to the Scottish Government, the committee said.

Read more: Scotland drug deaths: Fatal overdose deaths fall in 2022

More widely, the MPs recommended pilots of such facilities – where drug users can take substances under medical supervision with the aim that the environment will help prevent drug-related overdose and other drug-related harms – in areas across the UK where local government and others deem there is a need.

Figures published last week revealed Scotland’s largest ever fall in drug deaths, with data from National Records of Scotland (NRS) showing a total of 1,051 deaths due to drug misuse in 2022 – a drop of 279 on the previous year.

But while the number of deaths linked to drugs misuse is now at the lowest it has been since 2017, the NRS report made clear that the rate of deaths is still “much higher” than it was when recording the data began in 1996.

Scotland remains the drug deaths capital of Europe.

Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister, Elena Whitham, has pointed to her government’s drug law reform proposals, insisting that “the UK Government could do more to work with us to help introduce harm reduction measures”.

She added: "We welcome this report from the Home Affairs Committee which endorses our position on safer drug consumption facilities (SDCFs) and supports the proposal to pilot such a facility in Scotland.

“We have long called for agreement from the UK Government to allow us to do this, whether to support us in establishing a pilot or through devolving the necessary powers to allow us to do so.

“It has always been in the UK Government’s power to accelerate the delivery of an SDCF.

“If it was serious about looking to improve outcomes for people affected by problem substance use it could use powers reserved to it to support what we are already doing within devolved powers, or devolve the appropriate powers to us so we could move to implement a facility as quickly as possible.”

The Scottish Government's proposals include decriminalisation of all drugs for personal supply progressed as part of a wider review of drug laws.

The blueprint also includes "immediate legislative changes" by the UK Government to allow ministers "to fully and properly implement harm reduction measures such as supervised drug consumption facilities, drug checking and increased access to the life saving drug naloxone".

The SNP’s Glasgow Central MP, Alison Thewliss, who has campaigned for legal safe consumption rooms said the report was “important recognition” that swift change at UK Government level is needed to curb drug deaths.

She said: “The Tories can no longer ignore the need for urgent reform of the UK’s drug laws. 

"They must accept the recommendations of the cross party Home Affairs Committee report and the demands the SNP has made for years for safe consumption rooms."

Ms Thewliss added: “Safe consumption rooms are not a silver bullet when it comes to drug deaths in Scotland, but they do have a part to play in a joined up approach from every level of government to combat drug related deaths, and – as this committee has agreed – could save lives.

“The Scottish Government has made bold efforts to reduce drug deaths, and progress has been made, with Scottish Government initiatives such as the roll out of take-home Naloxone and the Medication-Assisted Treatment standards praised by the Committee.

“The Misuse of Drugs Act is over fifty years old and must now be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Criminalising drug users has done nothing but entrench a problem that sees far too many people die each year. 

“We mustn't see more lives needlessly lost. This report is an important recognition that swift change is needed, but it must be followed with action from the UK Government."

The new Home Affairs Committee report said: “We recommend the Government support a pilot in Glasgow by creating a legislative pathway under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 that enables such a facility to operate legally.”

MPs said the pilot “must be evaluated in order to establish a reliable evidence base on the utility of a safe consumption facility in the UK”.

More widely, the committee said both the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 require reform.

Read more: Scotland's rising drug deaths: Explained in five minutes

They added: “We recommend that the UK Government reform the 1971 Act and 2001 Regulations in a way that promotes a greater role for public health in our response to drugs, whilst maintaining our law enforcement to tackling the illicit production and supply of controlled drugs.”

Additionally, the MPs said on-site drug checking services at temporary events like music festivals and within the night-time economy should be rolled out, recommending that the Home Office “establish a dedicated licensing scheme for drug checking at such events before the start of the summer 2024 festival season”.

The report stated that existing classifications of controlled substances should be reviewed by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to ensure they accurately reflect the risk of harm, with further reviews every 10 years.

MPs welcomed the UK Government’s “commitment to reducing barriers to researching psychedelic drugs” and recommended they are “urgently” reclassified “in order to facilitate research on the medical or therapeutic value of these drugs”.

Read more: Leading charity slams 'lack of leadership' over Scottish drug deaths

The committee said it was “disappointed” that the Home Office had “repeatedly refused” to publish a 2016 report by the ACMD – a body which it said seeks to provide scientific, evidence-based recommendations to support the development of evidence-based drug policy.

Calling for the report to be handed over – at least on a confidential basis to the committee – the MPs said withholding it “contravenes established practice and undermines the ACMD’s transparency”.

Committee chairwoman, Dame Diana Johnson said: “The criminal justice system will need to continue to do all it can to break up the criminal gangs that drive the trade in illicit drugs. However, it must also recognise that many children and young people involved need to be supported to escape not punished for their involvement.

Read more: Scottish Government proposes decriminalisation of all drugs

“Fundamentally, we need to have the right interventions in place to help people break free from the terrible cycles of addiction and criminality that drug addiction can cause. Simply attempting to remove drugs from people’s live hasn’t worked."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "There is no safe way to take illegal drugs, which devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities, and we have no plans to consider this.

"Our 10-year drugs strategy set out ambitious plans, backed with a record £3 billion funding over three years to tackle the supply of illicit drugs through relentless policing action and building a world-class system of treatment and recovery to turn people's lives around and prevent crime."