Yverdon sees fewer crack dealers but addicts remain in crisis

Yverdon-les-Bains has seen the number of crack dealers around its railway station fall by about half, but the number of people addicted to the drug remains stable and many are in poor condition, SRF reported.

Two years ago, the drug scene around the station tripled within a few weeks. Marc Dumartheray, commander of the North Vaud police, said the situation had since stabilised. Christian Weiler, the city councillor responsible for security, said the number of addicts was also stable.

However, he said the crisis was far from over. Many addicts are isolated and ill, while an increasing number are financing their addiction through minor offences.

At Boucherie Robellaz, a butcher’s shop in Yverdon-les-Bains’ old town, owner Jean-Louis Robellaz said conversations increasingly focused on crack users. The drug problem was creating a sense of insecurity, he said, particularly among older people, and was also affecting his business.

The situation has also become calmer in Jardin Japonais, a small park next to the station. But Evelyne, a young woman from German-speaking Switzerland who was sitting there with her baby, said the problem had partly shifted rather than been solved.

Yasser Khazaal, chief physician for addiction medicine and a professor at Lausanne University Hospital, said treating crack addiction was a major challenge. There is no medical substitute for crack, and it is difficult to make contact with users. Khazaal and his team therefore look for them in streets, squares and underpasses.

Medical outreach work can help build trust and bring users to the university hospital, Khazaal said. Crack users often also have heroin or alcohol addictions, cardiovascular problems, inflammation affecting the throat, nose or ears, and psychological disorders. Addressing these problems can make it easier for them to stop using crack. Behavioural therapy is also important, he said.

The city is responding with several measures, including policing and enforcement, prevention, treatment and support for drug users. The Zone Bleue, a drop-in centre for people with drug problems, plays a central role.

Marco, who is homeless and addicted to drugs, visits the centre almost every day. He said it offered him some dignity through food, showers and social contact. He had tried to stop using crack but said the addiction was stronger. His biggest problem was having no prospects. If people like him were given jobs, he said, many would stop using drugs.

Djiallo, another crack user, said the addiction changed people too much. He described the level of violence he had witnessed in Yverdon as extreme.

Staff at the Zone Bleue have also faced violence. Centre director Vanessa Oguey recently had to close it for eight days because of death threats against employees. She said the violence was linked both to the drug and to the centre’s overloading. Several employees had recently been signed off sick, she said.

Oguey is calling for a supervised consumption room where addicts could take drugs under medical and social supervision. She believes this would calm the situation. Critics fear such a facility could attract more addicts to Yverdon.

For Oguey, the crack crisis shows that the police, justice system, medical services and social work are reaching their limits. The crack wave was leaving everyone feeling helpless, she said.