Drug consumption rooms: evidence-based but controversial - On Health

Drug consumption rooms: evidence-based but controversial - On Health

Pierre Smith & Pablo Nicaise

Pierre Smith (pictured) is a PhD candidate in public health at the Institute of Health and Society (IRSS) of the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium). He has a background in psychiatric nursing and a master in public health. He is working on mental health care research projects and psychiatric epidemiology. His PhD topic is the economic and social integration of people with severe mental illness.

Pablo Nicaise is a political scientist with a PhD in public health sciences. He is senior researcher at the Institute of Health and Society (IRSS) of the Université catholique de Louvain. He has been involved in many research and evaluation programmes in the field of mental health and drug addiction services and policies. He is currently coordinating the Mental Health Service Research group of the IRSS.

Drug consumption rooms: evidence-based but controversial

Drug consumption rooms are an evidence based intervention which can help people who use drugs do so in a safer environment. However, they remain controversial in many countries. In this blog, authors, Pierre Smith and Pablo Nicaise from the Institute of Health and Society at UCLouvain, highlight the experience of the city of Liège, Belgium.

Pierre Smith & Pablo Nicaise 13 Dec 2019

Liège DCR - Såf'ti - Fondation privée TADAM. Såf'ti means save yourself in the Walloon dialect

“Prove that they are cost-effective, and your policy makers will open them!” said the head of the Drug Consumption Room (DCR) we were visiting in Amsterdam during our feasibility study. However, not all politicians, at least in Belgium, are so pragmatic. DCRs are legally sanctioned public health facilities that offer a hygienic and supervised environment where people who use drugs (PWUD) can do so safely.