Bustling Marketplace in Zurich's Smaller Sector
In the ongoing debate surrounding the rise in crack cocaine use and its impact on public spaces, particularly in cities like Cologne, a potential solution is gaining traction - the establishment of larger addiction centers.
The Green mayoral candidate Berivan Aymaz is actively campaigning for the "Zürich Model," which has been successful in pacifying large open drug scenes in Zurich in the 1990s. This model includes consumption rooms, waiting rooms, and strengthened social work.
Similarly, the Greens in Cologne are planning to offer a comprehensive range of services, including substitution, consumption rooms, waiting rooms, and a café run by the users themselves, in a new addiction help center. The city has rented the former Kaufhof central building for three years but it remains empty. Ralf Unna, chairman of the health committee, sees this as an opportunity to finally establish a large addiction help center in the building.
However, the path to this center is not without challenges. A larger addiction help center was previously planned in Cologne, but protests from residents and business owners led to the withdrawal of the contract.
In Neumarkt, the consumption room is currently too small, according to Daniel Deimel, and addiction help services need to be quickly adapted to accommodate crack consumption. Deimel, in a survey conducted at TH Nuremberg, found that 54% of respondents in the open drug scene at Neumarkt had consumed crack in the last 24 hours in 2024, compared to 21% in 2023.
Deimel also contradicts the statement of the police president that the consumption room has had a magnetic effect, stating that crack is to blame for the deterioration, not the consumption room. The Greens also want to work towards tolerated small-scale dealing to bring people from the Neumarkt to the new addiction help center.
Key considerations in this approach include targeted support, harm reduction, and comprehensive social services. A larger addiction center could offer more specialized care and support services, potentially leading to better health outcomes and social integration for users. Including consumption rooms could help reduce public drug use and associated health risks, while providing users with safer environments. Comprehensive social services would address the broader issues of homelessness and unemployment, which are closely linked to drug addiction.
While increased controls and exclusion orders have led people to move into residential areas like Ehrenfeld and the Greek market quarter since January, some politicians like Stefanie Ruffen, FDP, suggest lowering the requirements for usage and making it cheaper as a potential solution.
As the discussion continues, it is clear that a more comprehensive approach involving specialized facilities and integrated social services might be necessary to effectively address the situation in Cologne.
[1] Source: Survey conducted by Daniel Deimel at TH Nuremberg [3] Source: Harm Reduction International - https://www.hrionline.org/harm-reduction-strategies
