Scotland’s £2.3million drug ‘shooting gallery’ had 131 visits in its first week of operation.
The facility – known as The Thistle – allows users to inject their own drugs on site.
After opening on January 13, it received 131 attendances in its first seven days.
Users bringing in their own illegal drugs were given access to injecting booths before relaxing in a lounge area which has a flat-screen television and a selection of books.
Allan Casey, Glasgow City Council convener for addiction services, said: ‘It’s been an intense first week for the team as all eyes are on Glasgow. I am delighted to hear people are making use of all the facilities available at The Thistle.
‘We know this is not a silver bullet – but having a facility that is safe, hygienic and medically supervised will go a long way towards reducing drug-related overdoses, injection-related wounds and infections, and the negative impact that injecting outdoors has on local communities.’
He added: ‘It’s a promising start and I know the team and everyone involved are eager to engage and welcome more people in the weeks and months to come.’
As well as being able to use the safer injecting facilities, users were provided with ‘wound care, clean injecting equipment and naloxone as required’, Glasgow City Council said.
They also used its shower, laundry and lounge area as well as receiving help with housing and drug treatment support.
There were ‘no medical emergencies resulting from drug use within the facility’, the council added.
The ‘shooting gallery’ will cost £2.3millon for its three-year pilot project and will be funded by the Scottish Government for the first year.
Drug workers estimate there are up to 500 regularly injecting users in the local area and hope as many as possible will come to the clinic, where they will also be able to get Covid and flu jabs.
Scottish Conservative drugs spokesman Annie Wells said: ‘These numbers show the scale of the drug deaths crisis that has spiralled out of control on the SNP’s watch.
‘They can have no room for complacency that this will suddenly fix the emergency they are responsible for.
‘Ministers have failed to alleviate serious concerns among the communities who will wonder what measures will be in place if user numbers continue to grow.
‘It is time the SNP accepted a variety of solutions to reduce drug deaths, starting by finally backing the Right to Recovery Bill.’
The Thistle is the first centre of its kind in the UK. There are 31 staff and it is open daily from 9am to 9pm. This could be extended if it is deemed a success.
It was set up amid soaring drug deaths in Scotland – the highest in Europe – but critics have warned it will not tackle the problem of addiction.
There were 1,172 drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2023, up 12 per cent on the previous year.