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Drugs in the wastewater: Neubrandenburg is becoming a stronghold of addiction!
Neubrandenburg: Drug residues in wastewater raise alarm, especially after the drug-related death of a young person. Experts warn of risks.
Drugs in the wastewater: Neubrandenburg is becoming a stronghold of addiction!
The drug problem remains a hot topic in northern Germany. NDR commissioned studies in six medium-sized cities in the region to analyze the residues of illegal drugs in wastewater. Interestingly, the results show that drugs have not only thrived in the big cities, but have also become indigenous to smaller towns and villages. For example, in Neubrandenburg, a city with 65,000 inhabitants, a particularly high amount of speed was discovered in the wastewater. This city even ranks 11th in Europe in terms of drug residues, as prisma.de reports.
The young Lorenz Haase from Altentreptow, very close to Neubrandenburg, speaks openly about the easily accessible drugs in the region. The alarming situation is compounded by tragic individual cases such as the drug-related death of 13-year-old Finja Knapp, which made national headlines in 2023. Finja bought an ecstasy tablet for five euros and ultimately had to lose her life for it. Their mother, Lucienne Knapp, says that part of them died with the loss. An urgent warning comes from Dr. Sven Armbrust, the chief physician of the clinic for child and adolescent medicine at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Clinic in Neubrandenburg, who emphasizes the increasing number of drug poisonings among young people. It's not just older young people, but also an increasing number of 14-year-olds who end up in hospital with drug problems.
Insight into the drug scene
Reporters asked around in Neubrandenburg and spoke to drug users and dealers. Their reports document the shockingly easy availability of illegal drugs in the city. These findings are in line with the general trends also recorded in the European Drug Report 2024. This report analyzes the drug situation in Europe until the end of 2023 and shows that much of the data comes from 2022 as the survey takes time. Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug on the continent, followed by cocaine. Synthetic stimulants such as amphetamine and methamphetamine are also on the market, with MDMA particularly popular in the nightclub scene, explains euda.europa.eu.
A growing market for new psychoactive substances poses additional challenges, while injecting drug use is declining but remains a health concern. Drug-related infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis are a significant risk for injecting users. Opioid agonist therapy is used as a common treatment method for people addicted to opioids to reduce the negative effects of drug use, as highlighted in the report.
The information listed here not only sheds light on the drug problem locally, but also shows a European picture that makes you think. Not only education is needed, but also measures to curb the toxic reality of drug availability and the risks associated with it. Open dialogue in schools, families and communities could be a step in the right direction to help young people recognize and avoid the dangers of drugs early on. For further information, it is worth taking a look at the comprehensive data from the European Drug Report.