Drugs in Bavaria - Drug consumption rooms: Soeder calls for reconsideration at Still Reiter [|]
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter has once again appealed to Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU) for the establishment of drug consumption rooms in Bavaria. "Munich is increasingly confronted with the challenges of illegal drug consumption and its negative consequences," wrote the SPD politician in a letter to Söder, which was obtained by the German Press Agency.
"The risky consumption of opioids and other tranquilizers often takes place at public and semi-public places, where bystanders, including children and adolescents, are affected and endangered by needles or contamination," said Reiter.
Understanding from Citizens
The city is constantly facing demands from residents and business owners to curb drug consumption in alleyways, courtyards, underground garages, and on the street. "Citizens express understanding for the situation of addicted people, but at the same time growing frustration as to why a drug consumption room is not set up," Reiter wrote to Söder.
Not least, the area around the main station is affected. However, it is also about the health of drug consumers, who can only reach help offers in institutions where consumption is possible, observable, and addressed, wrote Reiter to Söder. "We observe an increasing number of high-risk consumers who are hardly reachable with the usual help offers and have complex health problems."
More HIV Infections among Drug Consumers
The German AIDS Help organization caused a stir before the World AIDS Conference next week with the announcement of the opening of a drug consumption room in Munich on Friday - this refers to a symbolic action as a political appeal for a change in the legal situation in Bavaria, as the initiators then clarified.
The latest RKI figures on HIV new infections in 2023 show an increase due to intravenous drug use with needles. The estimated numbers through this method of drug consumption have reportedly been increasing steadily and continuously since 2010. This increase is alarming and requires urgent answers in prevention, according to the AIDS Help organization. It is important to provide sufficient sterile syringes and other utensils to these people.
Broad Coalition for Consumption Rooms
For years, a broad coalition of welfare organizations, district councils, Bavarian cities, and citizens has been advocating for the establishment of rooms for protected drug consumption in Bavaria, according to Reiter. In 2018, the Munich City Council passed a resolution on a medical ambulance with consumption option, and this issue was repeated in December 2020. All city council factions have confirmed the demand for such an establishment in the past two weeks.
The examples from other federal states have shown that questions and concerns from interior and justice ministries can be resolved, wrote Reiter. In many large cities, these institutions have meanwhile become a self-evident part of the help offers for drug consumers, as well as of the municipal security concepts. "Considering the clearly increasing pressure to act, I urge you to create the legal conditions for the operation of drug consumption rooms in Bavaria," appealed Reiter to Söder.
The state government has rejected drug consumption rooms so far - despite several cities being eager to introduce such an offer. The Bavarian Health Ministry, in response to the announcement of Aidshilfe's opening, reiterated that there will be no legal regulation for consumption rooms in the Free State in the foreseeable future.
- Dieter Reiter, the SPD politician and Munich Mayor, has repeatedly urged Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU) to establish drug consumption rooms in Bavaria.
- Reiter highlighted the rising challenges of illegal drug consumption and its harmful consequences, which often occur in public and semi-private areas.
- The risky consumption of opioids and other tranquilizers can put bystanders, such as children and adolescents, in danger due to needles or contamination.
- Residents and business owners in Munich continually express their concerns about drug consumption in alleyways, courtyards, underground garages, and on the street.
- The SPD politician emphasized the need for understanding towards addicted individuals while urging action to address the issue, as public frustration grows with the lack of a drug consumption room.
- The area around Munich's main station is particularly affected by drug consumption, with many high-risk consumers who are unreachable with traditional help offers due to complex health problems.
- The German AIDS Help organization called for a drug consumption room in Munich before the World AIDS Conference, noting an increase in HIV infections among drug consumers due to intravenous drug use.
- A broad coalition of welfare organizations, district councils, Bavarian cities, and citizens have advocated for drug consumption rooms in Bavaria for several years, with Munich City Council passing resolutions in 2018 and 2020.
- Despite mounting pressure, the Bavarian government has continued to reject drug consumption rooms, with the state's Health Ministry stating that there will be no legal regulation for such facilities in the near future.
