“It’s Not All Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks”: Inside the Swiss Association for Addiction With its mix of liberal attitudes and fi rm enforcement, Zurich is regarded as a model of drug policy. Hamburg street paper Hinz&Kunzt spoke with Jonas Wenger, co-secretary general of the Swiss Association for Addiction, about what Germany can learn – and where it still faces challenges. By Lukas Gilbert Hinz&Kunzt: Switzerland, and Zurich in particular, is regarded by many German cities and municipalities – including Hamburg Page 16 – as a model when it comes to drug policy. Why is that? Jonas Wenger: In the 1990s, we had a huge open drug scene in Zurich. The misery that played out here back then is hard to imagine today. It was during this time that real progress was made: there was a political consensus that we needed to focus on harm reduction for users – in other words, on improving their situation. How was that achieved? Laws were amended, heroin-assisted treatment was made possible, and a range of support services emerged: contact and drop-in centres, wellequipped consumption rooms – which are attractive partly due to the tolerated petty trade in drugs – social therapy and addiction medicine support, and emergency accommodation for those affected. Both heroin-assisted treatment and opioid agonist therapy [the provision of substitute drugs] were accompanied by scientifi c research during the pilot phase, and it became clear that everyone needed to work together: the police, health services, and social services. People said, we’re putting a stop to pure enforcement; instead, the fourpillar model was developed. That proved extremely successful – in the major cities of German-speaking Switzerland such as Zurich, Bern and Basel, the open drug scenes have almost entirely disappeared. It is often said here that Zurich has solved its drug problem. Is that an accurate picture? There is misery here too. Even in Zurich, there are people who are not reached by the available services. If an open drug scene does arise, professionals immediately engage with users and local residents to identify which services might be suitable for those affected. The police are also resolute and ensure that public drug use does not occur. So, on the one hand you have social work, and on the other, enforcement. Sounds a bit “carrot and stick”… The concept doesn’t work without enforcement. For public acceptance, it’s crucial that no open scenes develop. In the 1990s, we saw images of police offi cers in riot gear, and there was major escalation. That’s all in the past now. These days, it’s much more about de-escalation, and
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