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The Independent
12-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘Courageous' drug policy campaigner Peter Krykant found dead aged 48
Peter Krykant, the campaigner who risked arrest to blaze a trail for safer drug consumption facilities in Scotland, has died at the age of 48. The activist became a public figure in 2020 after creating and operating the UK's first unofficial overdose prevention service in Glasgow using a repurposed van, in a bid to alleviate the drug deaths crisis still claiming lives in Scotland and the wider UK. Operating for nine months, the service – which offered drug users in the city a sanitary and supervised alternative to consuming drugs alone in the street or at home – oversaw nearly 900 injections, successfully intervening in all nine overdoses that occurred, a study found. These lifesaving facilities have long been rejected by Westminster, despite being used in close to 20 countries worldwide, and Krykant was arrested in 2020 for his efforts to prevent overdoses and reduce the spread of bloodborne viruses – with the charges later dropped. In the wake of Krykant's activism, however, Scotland's lord advocate intervened in 2023 to say that such prosecutions 'would not be in the public interest'. As a result, the UK government relented that it would not block such services in Scotland, as pressure mounted on Holyrood to take more radical steps to save lives. The UK's only safer drug consumption facility, The Thistle, opened in the East End of Glasgow earlier this year. In its first seven weeks of opening, The Thistle was used more than 1,000 times by 143 individuals, with a number of medical emergencies managed over that period. But while many campaigners credit Krykant with paving the way for this lifesaving service and helping to pile pressure on Holyrood to prioritise tackling the crisis, the campaigner would later say that it had taken a toll on his own wellbeing. 'It took somebody ruining their life for them [politicians] to say they could do something about it [the drugs crisis], and that person was me,' Krykant told author Dr Kojo Koram in January, adding: 'I'm not in a good place, now. And that all stems from when I took the decision to go out and run that van.' After running his facility for nine months in Glasgow without funding or official permission, Krykant donated the vehicle, which was later upgraded to a repurposed ambulance, to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, which took it around the UK. Krykant would later stand in the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections as an independent candidate, and went on to work for the drug treatment charity Cranstoun, continuing to be a prominent voice globally in drug policy discussions. Mr Krykant, who started taking drugs aged 11 and began to inject heroin at the age of 17, while also experiencing homelessness, stopped using drugs for 11 years. He would later say that the pressure of politics and his activism had caused him to relapse into using drugs. He had been visiting London in the days before his death but had returned to his flat in Larbert, when friends became concerned about his wellbeing, the Daily Record reported. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 5.15pm on Monday, 9 June 2025, police attended an address in Graham Avenue, Larbert following a report of a concern for person. 'The body of a 48-year-old man was found within. His next of kin has been informed. A post mortem examination will be carried out in due course. The death is being treated as unexplained.' Scotland's first minister John Swinney was among those to pay tribute to Krykant, saying: 'His powerful voice on drugs policy reform, in particular his tireless work to deliver safe consumption rooms, leaves an important legacy which will be remembered.' Aamer Anwar, the lawyer who represented Krykant when he was arrested in 2020, described him as 'a one-man army, with a mission to save lives', adding: 'It was humbling to see him single-handedly fight to deliver the first safe consumption room for drugs in the UK. 'Since childhood he was driven by demons, but Peter was also a beautiful, kind and courageous man. He leaves behind his two boys whom he loved dearly and family and friends who will be utterly devastated. 'I hope with time they can find some comfort in that Peter will be at peace and his name will one day be remembered as a drugs campaigner decades ahead of his time.' Journalist Dani Garavelli said: 'Peter Krykant kept all the lives being lost to drugs in the public eye [and] forced the Scottish government into action'. Noting that, without his efforts, The Thistle would not exist, the columnist added: 'It was a privilege to know him. I hope he's at peace.' Ronnie Cowan, former SNP MP for Inverclyde, said: 'Peter Krykant dared to go where no politicians would. He led by example with great bravery and a tenacious enthusiasm. While we talked and people died, Peter acted. I was proud to support his DCR and only wish we could have done more.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Drugs campaigner Peter Krykant dies, aged 48
A prominent Scottish drugs campaigner who set up a safe consumption bus has died. Peter Krykant, a former heroin addict, became a public figure after he set up an unofficial supervised facility in a van which he took around Glasgow. Krykant often talked about his own battles with addiction, admitting he started taking drugs when he was just 11 and speaking out about a relapse in 2021. Police confirmed the 48-year-old's death was being treated as unexplained and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course. A Police Scotland Sotland spokesperson said: "Around 5.15pm on Monday, 9 June 2025, police attended an address in Graham Avenue, Larbert following a report of a concern for person. "The body of a 48-year-old man was found within. His next of kin has been informed." Mr Krykant started taking drugs when he was 11 and began to inject heroin at the age of 17, but stopped using drugs for 11 years. He went on to open a mobile unit in a converted van with the aim of preventing overdoses and the spread of blood-borne viruses among users in Scotland. He was arrested in 2020 after launching his "safe space" where users could take their own drugs under medical supervision. Charges against him were later dropped. Earlier this year The Thistle, the UK's first and only drug consumption room opened in the East End of Glasgow in an effort to reduce drug deaths. Krykant ran for election as an independent candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, campaigning on drug policy issues. He later said the "cut-throat" world of politics along with the pressure of running the consumption bus caused him to relapse into drug use. 'Fix room' campaigner relapsed after 11 years
Daily Record
11-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Scotland's first safe consumption room is a vital step, but far from the finish line
The opening of the first safe consumption room in the UK took years of legal wrangling and political pressure. It required a sea change in attitudes from police and prosecutors over how to respond to the drugs deaths crisis which has shamed Scotland for too many years. When The Thistle finally opened in January, it was still a hugely controversial move opposed in some political circles. It's aims are simple - to stop drug users from sharing needles and injecting in unhygienic environments, while at the same time being offered advice on how to access long-term rehab. Some may now question whether its been a success given that drugs deaths rose by a third in the first three months of a year. That means around 100 Scots are dying from substance abuse every month. But the opening of one safe consumption room in one city was never going to solve in 12 weeks what remains a nationwide public health emergency. We need more facilities like The Thistle, as part of a broader increase in access to rehabilitation services, if the number of deaths from drugs is to start falling year-on-year. Politicians like Alex Cole-Hamilton are right to call Scotland's drugs deaths crisis a national tragedy. The fact is there will be countless examples of people who could have turned their lives away from addiction if they had been able to access treatment when they most needed it. The battle to save lives from drugs continues to rage, we must ensure it is won. The Scottish Government must do more than talk a good game and provide the resources needed to reverse this grim tide. Ban footy yobs A small minority of football fans in Scotland feel they can behave any way they like at a match. Whether through acts of violence or irresponsible use of pyrotechnics, they seem act without regard to others. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. No wonder then that SFA chairman Mike Mulraney has called for a crackdown on yobbish behaviour. In today's Record he talks of 'no jeopardy' for those who step out of line and you can sense his frustration. Football banning orders exist to hammer the sort of behaviour Mulraney is talking about. But only five were issued last season despite the widespread use of pyros and high-profile incidents of disorder. If football matches are to be safe spaces for all fans, then the few who step out of line have to know there are consequences.
Scottish Sun
06-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Council forced to send in clean-up crew to deal with vile drug den near Glasgow's fix room
COUNCIL chiefs were forced to call in a JCB to scoop up drug debris near Glasgow's safe consumption room. Piles of used needles were piled on Tobago Street in the city's Calton, near the controversial facility heralded by local authority bosses. 6 A JCB was called in to clean up drug debris and mess from fly-tipping Credit: Glasgow City Council 6 A clean up was ordered on Tobago Street near the safe consumption room Credit: Les Gallagher 6 Discarded needles at the drug den near the facility Credit: Les Gallagher 6 The Thistle has caused outrage among local residents Credit: Les Gallagher 6 Campaigner Colin McGowan said the council owes the people of Calton an apology Credit: Steve Welsh 6 Councillor Allan Casey rejected suggestions the clean-up was a U-turn by the council Credit: Les Gallagher Residents have been up in arms over the fix room and said the area around their homes has become a hotbed of drugs and crime since it opened. They gathered at a meeting where they said they feared for their kids safety and blasted cops for their lack of action in tackling the rise in drug dealers flooding the area. But a major cleanup of the area was ordered by bosses after multiple complaints from locals. There was so much debris from drug use and fly tipping around the drug den that a digger had to be used. Pictures taken by The Scottish Sun in the area today showed used needles and foil wrappers littering the area. Campaigner Colin McGowan, who runs childrens' charity Blameless, told how he has repeatedly been out picking up dozens of used needles from the Tobago Street area. He told The Scottish Sun: "We've been told we are peddling misinformation and have been called social media agitators with a passing interest. "This clean-up is a total U-turn from the council. It's a good start, but they still need to answer to the rising crime, the rise in drug dealing, and the lack of police presence in the area. "It is bringing more drug users and drug dealers to the area. Where is their duty of care to the people? "The people of Calton are blameless. They have to go out there and live in an area saturated with needles. Drug fix rooms could be rolled out across Scotland before end of controversial Glasgow pilot "The council and John Swinney need to apologise to the people of Calton for finally catching up." Councillor Allan Casey, who is the council's convenor for addiction services flat out rejected any suggestion the JCB was a U-turn from city bosses. He said: "There has been absolutely no U-turn. We have been doing clean ups in the area long before The Thistle has been there. "We've conducted a number of clean ups before The Thistle even opened and indeed after it because we have been speaking to the community all throughout the process of opening The Thistle and we will continue to do so. "Any misinformation is that this is a new phenomenon. "We hope that's a good start and it's making a difference but it's very early days and we want to obviously make sure that we're removing harm as much as we possibly can." We told how Health Secretary Neil Gray has paved the way for more of the fix rooms to be opened up across Scotland. He appeared before MPs at Westminster amid the controversy surrounding The Thistle. talked up the idea of allowing crack cocaine to be smoked at the first fix room, saying the Scottish Government and top prosecutor Lord Advocate would 'consider' this. His appearance at Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee came amid a row over the Thistle Centre facility, which has seen a stream of ambulance call-outs since it opened this year. There are also worries it may be fuelling levels of discarded needles in the area of Glasgow's east end, and campaigners have warned it is distracting from the need for rehab for addicts.
Edinburgh Reporter
28-05-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Midlothian has no current plans to introduce a drugs safer consumption room
Midlothian has no current plans to introduce a drugs safer consumption room for drug users amid concern about 'community disquiet' surrounding Scotland's first one in Glasgow. A meeting of the council's SNP administration cabinet last week heard the performance of the Glasgow facility was being monitored by social work and health professionals in the county. However their chief social worker Nick Clater said while there were plans to trial a second room in Edinburgh, Midlothian was not currently considering it. He said: 'There are plans to pilot one in Edinburgh and funding is available with the decision to be made by Edinburgh Alcohol and drugs Partnership, 'There are no plans to do something similar here for two reasons – one is financial – it would mean stopping something else – and second is the economics and space required to do it. 'A third reason is emerging – community disquiet in the area in Glasgow where it is currently being piloted. We are waiting to see the outcome of the pilot when it is fully assessed.' Glasgow opened the UK's first safer drugs consumption room , called The Thistle, in January this year. It says the facility can combat drug-related deaths and improve public health by offering a clean, safe place for people to inject their own drugs – obtained elsewhere, not provided or purchased on site – under clinical supervision and access a wide range of treatment and support. At last week's Midlothian cabinet meeting, members heard that while a similar facility was not currently in the pipeline, current work with substance use in the county was progressing with its treatment standard among the best 'if not the best' in the country. A report revealed that over the last year 100 per cent of users referred for treatment were seen within the 21 days target set by Scottish Government. And it shared feedback from one of its groups established by Midlothian mental health and substance use service which revealed up to 100 per cent of users said it had found it strongly helpful and were treated with respect and listened to. By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
