Charity gives out safe tinfoil in bid to get heroin users off needles

Drug charity Turning Point Scotland is handing out tinfoil at its Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre to heroin users in a bid to cut down the risks connected to injecting.

Users can use foil to heat up and inhale the Class A substance instead of using needles.

The move is in direct response to botulism cases detected in Glasgow in which one one heroin user died last month.

Four others are currently in hospital and Health Protection Scotland is now dealing with the outbreak.

John Campbell, improvement and development manager for injecting providers, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: "The provision of foil has been a long time coming and it's come at the right time.

"The botulism cases have really encouraged us to bring this into Turning Point Scotland's Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre quicker than planned.

"In the first week or so they gave out over 10 packs which is fairly encouraging.”

Patricia Tracey, service manager at the Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre, said workers were trying to provide an alternative to injecting.

She said: "Smoking heroin doesn't come without risks, but by giving out foil we are providing a safer alternative option for the people we support.

"There are benefits to the individual, to the community if there's less injecting equipment lying about, and ultimately there are benefits to society because of the reduction in cost of treating injecting related complications."