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They don’t feel when they are cold or hungry. They smoke crack up to six times a day, and some also get high on heroin. This scale of drug misery is a new reality – not just in Geneva or Zurich.
New drug scenes have also formed in Lausanne, Vevey, Olten, Basel, Lucerne and Chur. Addicts can obtain crack cheaply, and the drug is also easily available.
BAG invited people to the round table in November
The Federal Office for Public Health (BAG) wants to counter this development and has therefore convened a round table after the cities called for a common solution.
A first meeting attended by 60 experts took place in November, and a second roundtable conference is planned for June. The BAG will also present a report in the near future with recommendations on tackling crack.
Spokeswoman Céline Reymond explains that the BAG has sat down with representatives of local governments and said that the cities have already had various experiences with the crack crisis. “Now the support options from the federal government must be clarified,” says Reymond. “It’s about finding common solutions.”
It is important to adapt the four-pillar policy of prevention, therapy, harm reduction and repression, which has been tried and tested for decades, to the new circumstances. “Above all, harm reduction is becoming increasingly important,” says Reymond. She explains this by saying that crack addicts are often physically and mentally ill, unemployed and homeless.
Their situation must be stabilized “to calm the situation in public spaces”. Especially because crack consumption is often associated with an increase in violent acts, according to Reymond.
In the US, the synthetic opioid fentanyl is causing great misery; Tens of thousands of addicts have died from consuming it in recent months alone. There is hardly any evidence of the spread of fentanyl in this country, neither in wastewater measurements nor in imports, said BAG spokeswoman Reymond. “But we are following developments.”
Drug policy needs to be reconsidered
Expert Frank Zobel of the Swiss Addiction Foundation emphasizes that the crack environment in cities is inconsistent. Moreover, the cannabis pilots for the crack problem could not simply be adopted. Cocaine is a much more toxic and dangerous drug. “It is time to think about how we can adapt our drug policy to a new situation,” says Zobel.
The demand for a new drug policy also comes from Geneva. The four-pillar strategy must be adapted to the new circumstances, says Thomas Herquel, president of an association that offers addicts a space to consume drugs. There must be clarity about how the actors can work together more closely and how the discussion about a revision of the Narcotics Act can be initiated.
The efforts of the BAG are appreciated
The city of Zurich welcomes the BAG’s efforts to promote the exchange of experiences and knowledge, said Heike Isselhorst, spokeswoman for the Social Services. Even if the drug scenes have different characteristics and there is not an overarching solution for every situation, “a common direction can be defined.”
According to Isselhorst, around 200 addicts in Zurich visit the municipal hotline every day. The fact that it is now open again after a temporary closure has led to a noticeable improvement in the situation in the public space.
Unlike Zurich, addicts in Chur do not have rooms available for drug use. About thirty homeless addicts can be found outside day and night, says responsible municipal councilor Patrik Degiacomi.
Given the crack misery, action is needed. “In principle, the four-pillar policy is a success story,” says Degiacomi. But it has stood still for too long and needs to develop further. “The problem requires a faster approach.”
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
