Intoxicants
Number of drug deaths at record high
Used syringe in the bushes. The drug most frequently associated with deaths continued to be heroin. Photo
© Felix Zahn/dpa
The consumption of illegal drugs, from cocaine and crack to heroin, has been a problem for decades – and can have fatal consequences. Is this worrying trend becoming more entrenched?
There was a significant increase in deaths related to cocaine and crack, with the number increasing from 507 to 610. Heroin continued to be the most common cause of death, but the number of deaths fell slightly from 749 to 712. There was an increase in deaths caused by mixed substances.
Numbers have doubled in ten years
Blienert said the numbers were alarming and were now about twice as high as they were ten years ago. It was clear that “more and more substances are being consumed in a mixed form, that there are increasingly stronger substances, that everything that is available on the market is being taken.” Therefore, “we need very concrete progress in prevention and social help on the ground.”
It is therefore necessary to have drug consumption rooms where they are needed. According to the information, there are currently 31 such facilities nationwide for less risky consumption under controlled conditions – not in all federal states.