Scotland has approved the UK’s first supervised drug consumption room, where users will be able to take illegal drugs under medical supervision. Glasgow officials said they would start recruiting staff next year for the multi-million pound facility, which was first proposed in 2016 after an HIV outbreak among people who were injecting drugs in public places. Scotland has the highest drug death figures in western Europe. “We know this is not a silver bullet,” said Elena Whitham, Scotland’s drug and alcohol policy minister. “But we know from evidence from more than 100 facilities worldwide that safer drug consumption facilities work.” Staff at the centre will also offer guidance on addiction recovery.