The number of drug-related deaths in Germany remains alarmingly high at 2,137 in 2024, despite a slight decrease compared to the previous year. This was announced by the Federal Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck during a visit to the Urban Hospital in Berlin. Professional associations present a plan of action with five interventions to drastically reduce the number of deaths and call on the federal, state and local governments to take immediate action.

The situation is exacerbated by increasing mixed use and new substances. Heroin and other opioids continue to cause over half of deaths, but highly potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazene are gaining in importance and were involved in 342 deaths in 2024. Crack and cocaine also contribute significantly to the crisis with around 700 cases. The action plan of the professional associations aims to combat these dangers in a targeted manner.

Municipal early warning systems are designed to detect market changes such as the influx of synthetic opioids at an early stage. Drugchecking enables substances to be analyzed for purity and dangerous admixtures in order to prevent overdoses. Drug consumption rooms offer a safe environment for consumption under medical supervision, reduce deaths and infections such as HIV or hepatitis C and provide referrals to support services. The emergency medication naloxone, which saves lives in the event of opioid overdoses, must be made available nationwide, supported by training for specialist staff such as drug help, police and street workers. Substitution therapy with substitute drugs such as methadone reduces mortality and makes it easier to quit addiction, but only reaches a fraction of those affected with 81,000 people receiving treatment.

The implementation of these measures is inconsistent. Bavaria and seven other federal states have no drug consumption rooms, although Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony are making progress. Drugchecking is limited to Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, but Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia are planning ordinances to change this. The professional associations emphasize that protection against death and infection should not depend on where you live. Drug consumption rooms and drug checking also relieve the burden on emergency rooms, as well-informed users and substitution patients are less likely to get into life-threatening situations and emergencies can be treated on site.

The professional associations criticize the lack of political will and call for the measures to be implemented across the board with sufficient funding in order to contain the crisis and prevent unnecessary deaths.

Further information:

Action plan of the professional associations akzept e.V., Deutsche Aidshilfe, Gesellschaft für Suchtmedizin, Fachverband Drogen- & Suchthilfe and the JES Bundesverband

Cooperation project so-par to prepare for fentanyl

Information on drug consumption rooms

Information on naloxone

_{Editorial office: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR}

Gender note. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple references and gendered designations are avoided in favor of better readability.