Frankfurt, Germany – A contentious battle is brewing over a proposed help center for crack cocaine addicts near the city’s main railway station, an area notorious for its open drug market. The Bahnhofsviertel district, a stark contrast too Frankfurt’s image as a financial hub, has become a focal point in the debate over harm reduction strategies and the impact of drug addiction on urban life.

The Bahnhofsviertel: A Complex Reality

For many visitors arriving in Frankfurt, the bahnhofsviertel presents a jarring introduction. The area, known for its skyscrapers and financial institutions, quickly gives way to a gritty urban landscape marked by drug dealing and prostitution. hundreds of addicts are drawn to this district, where “consumption rooms” provide sterile needles and a space to use heroin, crack cocaine, and other illicit substances.

Public Health vs. Public Perception

Public health officials defend the existing consumption rooms as a vital service that saves lives and provides support to a vulnerable population. Christian Rupp, city spokesman for health and social affairs, emphasizes that the primary goal is to save lives and not to criminalise people. He notes that in the previous year, 20 people died of drug overdoses in Frankfurt, a significant decrease from the 147 deaths recorded in 1991. Nobody has yet died of an overdose in a consumption room, Rupp stated.

Though, critics argue that the concentration of these services creates a permissive environment, attracting more addicts to the area. some have even given the city unflattering nicknames. Hesse state’s conservative premier, Boris Rhein, said in March that the Bahnhofsviertel had become a magnet for drug tourism… a closed ecosystem of buying, getting high, getting treatment and getting care and advice all in one place.

Local Opposition: A Businessman’s Perspective

Frank Lottermann, a local businessman who runs a design agency near the proposed crack center, is among those lobbying to move the facility further away. He expressed his frustration wiht the visible signs of addiction and the unsanitary conditions in the area. It does something to you to have to step over human excrement on the way to work, he said. It does something to your head.

Lottermann opposes the plan for a new center with space for approximately 50 people to smoke crack,a stimulant that gained popularity in Frankfurt in the 1990s and is now more prevalent than heroin. The city is not just about drugs, Lottermann said. Just this area! He added that the drug scene is so open that people think they have to avoid Frankfurt.

The Debate Over Location

A central point of contention is the location of the proposed crack center. Rupp insists that it must be in the Bahnhofsviertel to be accessible to addicts, who he describes as ill. He argues that a person in the end stage of this illness is not in a position to walk almost two kilometres.

This sentiment is echoed by Stirpan, a 43-year-old former tree surgeon and crack user, who stated, Who will walk for 15 minutes when all the stuff is here? He added, people get the drugs and want to smoke them promptly, they don’t want to wait.

Historical Context and Future Solutions

Wolfgang Barth, a veteran local social worker who opened the area’s first help center in 1989, acknowledges the long-standing opposition to these services. He emphasizes the importance of interaction with local residents and stakeholders. Barth also noted that the new crack center shoudl be opened as planned where the demand is highest.

Lottermann,despite his opposition to the center’s location,suggests that Frankfurt should consider tolerating small-time drug dealing within help centers to remove the practice from the streets. Though, Barth expressed doubt that this would be tolerated in Germany anytime soon.

Stirpan, reflecting on the situation, said it was hard to see what could be done to clean up the bahnhofsviertel. You would have to do something drastic. You’d have to chase people out the area, he said. The people here will do anything for a bit of crack.