Drug-checking service

23 Sep 2026 12:58 PM

Scotland's first local drug-checking service will open in Glasgow next month, giving people who use drugs vital information about what their drugs contain.

Drugs Minister Maree Todd said the new service will allow people to submit drugs for rapid checking and receive harm-reduction advice alongside the results, complementing other important services focused on tackling drug harms.

Samples taken at the Glasgow site, and in the future at other sites across Scotland, will then be sent to the newly established national testing and research laboratory, hosted by the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee. This will provide more complete analysis of samples of drugs, delivering vital information for the national early warning system and will enable services to respond faster to emerging trends. 

The Scottish Government has invested more than £1.7 million in the drug-checking pilot programme. Aberdeen and Dundee have received licences from the Home Office for similar services, and the Scottish Government is working with local partners to get these services up and running in the coming months. A fourth facility in Edinburgh is currently preparing its licence application.

Ms Todd said:

“I am very pleased that this facility will open next month and I thank our Glasgow partners for their hard work to deliver this pilot which will be vital in helping us respond to emerging threats.

“Establishing new drug-checking facilities will help people make safer decisions and provide vital information on the risk of emerging substances. That is why we have consistently impressed upon the UK Government the importance of approving these facilities.

“We are working hard with partners to respond to an increasingly toxic supply. A key part of our action is early identification of emerging risks and this new service is particularly important in light of the current dangers posed by new synthetic opioids like nitazenes which raise the risk of overdose and death.

“We are committed to strengthening our RADAR early warning system and using data, evidence and innovation to ensure services can adapt quickly to new threats and protect people and communities.”

Background

Glasgow’s drug-checking facility will operate from Hunter Street - the same site as the UK's first official Safer Drug Consumption Facility.

The facility is scheduled to open on Monday 5 October

As per the licence criteria set by the Home Office, drug-checking services in Scotland will be restricted to people who are dependent on one or more illicit drug, as well as to those who are over 18.