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A small decrease in drug-related fatalities in Hamburg.

Last year in Hamburg, numerous individuals lost their lives due to the use of cocaine, heroin, and methadone. The CDU expresses concern over the growth of substitute drugs.

Ein Mann hält eine Heroinspritze an seinen Arm.
Ein Mann hält eine Heroinspritze an seinen Arm.

Last year in Hamburg, there was a slight decrease in drug-related deaths compared to the year before. As per a written inquiry from the CDU parliamentary group to the Senate, 88 people passed away due to overdosing on drugs like cocaine, heroin, substitute drugs such as methadone, or other illegal substances. In 2022, there were 96 drug-related deaths, while in the previous year, there were 76.

Of these 88 deaths, 14 resulted due to long-term damage caused by drugs. In two instances it was a suicide, while in three cases, it was an accident - for example, from misjudgments during consumption or accidents involving drug smugglers.

In 2023, 30 people died after consuming a single toxic substance. Of these, twelve passed away due to cocaine or crack consumption. On the other hand, eleven deaths were caused by methadone poisoning. Four people died due to overdosing on heroin or morphine. The remaining cases involved multiple substances, with 26 cases being related to cocaine or crack abuse, 19 to heroin use, and 24 to methadone poisoning.

Male deaths outnumbered female ones, as 65 men and 23 women were reported to have died. The average age of these deaths also remained relatively consistent with the previous years. The average age being 42.6 years as per the Senate's response, with 43.4 years in 2022.

CDU parliamentarian Richard Seelmaecker, who had posed the inquiry to the red-green Senate, said, "While it's good that fewer people died from drugs in 2023 than in 2022, 88 drug-related deaths are still a concerning sign. The high number of those who succumbed to substitute drugs is particularly alarming. This needs to be investigated further."

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Source: www.stern.de

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