Munich joins effort to curb rising crack use

Munich has joined a federal, state and municipal initiative to curb the spread of crack, BR reports, as use rises across Germany, particularly in major cities.

The initiative will bring representatives together regularly to develop responses. Crack, a smokable form of processed cocaine, can cause rapid addiction and serious health problems. Users may lose their appetite and deteriorate quickly.

At a meeting between the federal government, states and municipalities, participants discussed how experiences with crack differ between cities. Munich’s health department head, Beatrix Zurek, said use in the city had risen sharply but remained below levels seen in some northern German cities.

The trend is monitored at L43, a drug emergency service on Landwehrstraße. The service surveys clients and distributes safer-use supplies, including clean crack pipes intended to reduce the risk of infection. Social worker Andi Berger said the goal was to stabilise people and provide a place where they could spend time, rather than expecting them to stop using drugs or immediately enter treatment.

Demand for the pipes has climbed steeply, Berger said. L43 began distributing them in 2022, when it handed out about 400 a year. It now gives out around 300 to 320 each month. Clients pay a few cents for a pipe and can rest at the service or leave. Drug use and dealing are prohibited there. Some users go to Nußbaumpark, a park a few hundred metres away in central southern Munich.

Drug emergency services also connect people with social workers who can help with tasks such as arranging appointments with authorities. These services provide harm reduction, but do not amount to a broader solution. Federal drug commissioner Hendrik Streeck said there was no good answer yet to the sharp rise in crack use. He called for more frequent discussions between governments and municipalities, and closer cooperation among homelessness services, addiction services, police and regulatory authorities.

Bavaria and Munich have differing views on how to respond. The state currently prohibits drug consumption rooms, where people can use illegal drugs under supervision, while Zurek supports them. Such rooms are allowed in some other states, including Hesse. Zurek hopes the regular meetings will prompt a change in the Bavarian government’s position.