In my thesis, I investigated the impact of the use of drug consumption rooms on the health of users. I completed a part of the research in Ljubljana in the first half of 2023 and the rest of the research on an exchange with the aim of writing my thesis in Berlin from September 2023 until the end of March 2024. In the research I was interested in what users think about drug consumption rooms, what their needs are regarding drug consumption rooms, and what the potential impact of the use of a drug consumption room is on the psychological and physical health of drug users. I also wanted to know what problems they face when using drugs in public places and what the interviewees in Berlin see as the advantages and potential disadvantages of drug consumption rooms. In the first part of the theoretical introduction I described the drug policy in Slovenia, defined the concept of harm reduction, drug consumption rooms, gave some examples of good practices from abroad and highlighted the attempt to establish a drug consumption room in Slovenia. In the second part of the theoretical introduction, I described the drug policy in Berlin and the existing practices of drug consumption rooms at two harm reduction organisations in Berlin. The research is qualitative and empirical, and the measurement instrument used is an interview guideline developed on the basis of the research questions. The data were collected by means of a questioning method through interviews, of which I conducted eight. In addition, I held four interviews with social workers in the field of research, and I also included an observation method. I processed the data obtained using a type of qualitative analysis called thematic analysis and, on this basis, I drew up the results, conclusions and proposals of the research carried out. The aim of the thesis was to open up the discourse on the establishment of safe rooms for drug use in Slovenia and to find out how to do this in a way that is good and effective practice. I found that the use of drugs in drug consumption rooms has a positive impact on the health status of drug users and is undoubtedly safer in comparison to the use of drugs in public places. Drug users have a good opinion of sdrug consumption rooms and see them as having considerable benefits for themselves and for society at large. The results point to the need for the establishment of drug safe rooms in Slovenia. Finally, I have made proposals for establishing drug consumption rooms in Slovenia efficiently, with a focus on ensuring that drug use is as safe as possible.
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