Given the severity of problem drug use in Glasgow, it is clear that decisive, radical action is needed. The Thistle is a gold standard facility and represents an intervention that is commensurate with the scale of Glasgow’s drug problem. However, it is also expensive. The Thistle could prove good value by saving money elsewhere in the health service, but it will be for the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council to determine this following the evaluation, and to decide whether to continue The Thistle’s funding beyond the three-year pilot. We note that The Thistle is described as ‘gold standard’, and consider that a less sophisticated model of the facility could potentially offer corresponding harm reduction benefits, at a reduced cost. But, given that the pilot is being run as the stated ‘gold standard’ model, the effectiveness and therefore value for money and harm reduction capability of a less sophisticated model would remain untested and therefore largely unknown. (Conclusion, Paragraph 82)