Drug addicts will be able to inject themselves with crack and heroin in 'safe rooms' as part of a scheme being considered by Brighton Council.
Brighton is set to become the first city in the UK to provide official 'drug consumption rooms' where addicts can use heroin, crack and cocaine under supervision without fear of prosecution.
Public health leaders in the city will meet this summer to give serious consideration to the plan which they say will 'save lives.'
'Safe room': Brighton health officials hope that supervision will reduce the risk of overdoses and public drugtaking
Last year Brighton and Hove was once again named and shamed as the drug death capital of the UK.
Figures ranked the city worst in the country for drug-related fatalities per head of population with 104 fatalities between 2009 and 2011.
Of the 35 deaths in 2010, 13 were the result of heroin overdoses.
It is estimated that around 2,000 people in the city have a serious substance abuse issues.
Rob Jarrett, chairman of Brighton's health and wellbeing board-the local authority agency given responsibility for public health under recent NHS reforms- said previous strategies had failed to tackle the problem.
He told a Sunday newspaper that recent drug tackling policies in the city were tantamount to 'emotional knee-jerk reactions' that had not stopped users killing themselves.
Keen supporter: Local MP Caroline Lucas of the Green Party believes the rooms would be an important innovation
He said: 'I think from our perspective we see the health benefits of accepting drug use is going to happen and it might as well be happening in a place that can be monitored.
'Our primary concern is the health of the people to make sure they don't kill themselves.'
Mr Jarrett added: 'I believe in Switzerland, where it has been tried, it has worked.
'Up until now we have had policies that have been based on emotional knee-jerk reactions that haven't solved the problem at all.'
The proposals were put forward by a drugs commission headed by crime author Peter James and Mike Trace, a former UK deputy drugs tsar.
A report published by the independent body this week is expected to say that the drug consumption rooms would 'significantly reduce overdose death rates' and would not encourage further use.
The commission was established following the prompting of local Green MP, Caroline Lucas.
Mrs Lucas said that while the facilities would push at the fringes of the law, it could be an important innovation.
'Prohibition isn't working,' she said. 'This is a government that often says it wants to be guided by evidence and yet drugs policy is more or less an evidence-free zone.'
More than 90 drug consumption rooms have been set up worldwide, including in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain.
Mr Trace, vice chairman of the commission, said eradication of illegal drug use was not now a realistic aim and management should now be the priority.
He said: 'A lot of drug partnerships around the country are doing good things but none of them have been able to get the drugs market under control.
Similar set-up: The Insite supervised injection center in Vancouver, Canada where addicts can inject in safe surroundings
'So we need to look for realistic objectives: ways of managing the market rather than eradicating the market.
'It is difficult for political leaders and executives within the police but you have to be honest about the situation.
'We are not going to do anything to make illegal drug use go away but there are things we can do to resolve health and crime problems.'
Previously Andy Winter, chief executive of the Brighton Housing Trust, which runs the city's largest drug and alcohol treatment service blamed the drug problem on 'anything goes night time culture.'
He said: 'We have to ask ourselves as a city whether we want to continue with this awful tag.
Drug deaths: Brighton and Hove has been named the drug death capital of Britain for the second year in a row
'Although people are enjoying the night time economy, there are victims too and that needs to change.
'However, we are seeing a better integration of services in Brighton and Hove then we have ever seen before and the drop in deaths reflects that. But even one death is one too many.'
Charlie Lloyd, from York's mental health and addiction research group, said a study in Vancouver showed that public injections were reduced by 50% near the city's drug consumption room.
He claimed there had never been an overdose in such a facility anywhere in the world.
Martin Barnes, CEO of the UK drugs charity DrugScope said: 'There is significant evidence internationally that drug consumption rooms can help address the health and social harms associated with problem drug use - including reducing the risk of overdose, improving health and lessening costs to society.
'We support the piloting and evaluation of drug consumption rooms as a contribution to improving public health and reducing drug-related harms.'
The proposals are due to be considered in June.
Brighton is set to become the first city in the UK to provide official 'drug consumption rooms' where addicts can use heroin, crack and cocaine under supervision without fear of prosecution.
Public health leaders in the city will meet this summer to give serious consideration to the plan which they say will 'save lives.'
'Safe room': Brighton health officials hope that supervision will reduce the risk of overdoses and public drugtaking
Last year Brighton and Hove was once again named and shamed as the drug death capital of the UK.
Figures ranked the city worst in the country for drug-related fatalities per head of population with 104 fatalities between 2009 and 2011.
Of the 35 deaths in 2010, 13 were the result of heroin overdoses.
It is estimated that around 2,000 people in the city have a serious substance abuse issues.
Rob Jarrett, chairman of Brighton's health and wellbeing board-the local authority agency given responsibility for public health under recent NHS reforms- said previous strategies had failed to tackle the problem.
He told a Sunday newspaper that recent drug tackling policies in the city were tantamount to 'emotional knee-jerk reactions' that had not stopped users killing themselves.
Keen supporter: Local MP Caroline Lucas of the Green Party believes the rooms would be an important innovation
He said: 'I think from our perspective we see the health benefits of accepting drug use is going to happen and it might as well be happening in a place that can be monitored.
'Our primary concern is the health of the people to make sure they don't kill themselves.'
Mr Jarrett added: 'I believe in Switzerland, where it has been tried, it has worked.
'Up until now we have had policies that have been based on emotional knee-jerk reactions that haven't solved the problem at all.'
The proposals were put forward by a drugs commission headed by crime author Peter James and Mike Trace, a former UK deputy drugs tsar.
A report published by the independent body this week is expected to say that the drug consumption rooms would 'significantly reduce overdose death rates' and would not encourage further use.
The commission was established following the prompting of local Green MP, Caroline Lucas.
Mrs Lucas said that while the facilities would push at the fringes of the law, it could be an important innovation.
'Prohibition isn't working,' she said. 'This is a government that often says it wants to be guided by evidence and yet drugs policy is more or less an evidence-free zone.'
More than 90 drug consumption rooms have been set up worldwide, including in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain.
Mr Trace, vice chairman of the commission, said eradication of illegal drug use was not now a realistic aim and management should now be the priority.
He said: 'A lot of drug partnerships around the country are doing good things but none of them have been able to get the drugs market under control.
Similar set-up: The Insite supervised injection center in Vancouver, Canada where addicts can inject in safe surroundings
'So we need to look for realistic objectives: ways of managing the market rather than eradicating the market.
'It is difficult for political leaders and executives within the police but you have to be honest about the situation.
'We are not going to do anything to make illegal drug use go away but there are things we can do to resolve health and crime problems.'
Previously Andy Winter, chief executive of the Brighton Housing Trust, which runs the city's largest drug and alcohol treatment service blamed the drug problem on 'anything goes night time culture.'
He said: 'We have to ask ourselves as a city whether we want to continue with this awful tag.
Drug deaths: Brighton and Hove has been named the drug death capital of Britain for the second year in a row
'Although people are enjoying the night time economy, there are victims too and that needs to change.
'However, we are seeing a better integration of services in Brighton and Hove then we have ever seen before and the drop in deaths reflects that. But even one death is one too many.'
Charlie Lloyd, from York's mental health and addiction research group, said a study in Vancouver showed that public injections were reduced by 50% near the city's drug consumption room.
He claimed there had never been an overdose in such a facility anywhere in the world.
Martin Barnes, CEO of the UK drugs charity DrugScope said: 'There is significant evidence internationally that drug consumption rooms can help address the health and social harms associated with problem drug use - including reducing the risk of overdose, improving health and lessening costs to society.
'We support the piloting and evaluation of drug consumption rooms as a contribution to improving public health and reducing drug-related harms.'
The proposals are due to be considered in June.