As of: February 17, 2024, 1:21 p.m
By: Anna-Lena Kiegerl
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Could there be a threat of a fentanyl crisis in Germany, similar to the USA?
Drug deaths are increasing in this country and Interpol is also warning about the zombie drug.
Munich – Fentanyl repeatedly makes the headlines – especially in the United States.
The so-called zombie drug is causing thousands of drug deaths there.
It is one of the leading causes of death in Americans under 50.
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, have also made their way into Europe.
The admixture with heroin, which is used much more often, represents a major problem. The Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan could make this situation even worse.
More drug deaths in Germany – More than 100,000 died from drugs in the USA
In Germany, the number of drug deaths increased by nine percent between 2021 and 2022, as reported on the Federal Drug Commissioner's website.
1990 people lost their lives to illegal drugs in this country in 2022.
According to Aidshilfe, 83 of these deaths were due to synthetic opioids, which also include fentanyl.
In the previous year there were even 102 deaths.
However, these numbers could be higher in real terms, as toxicological tests are not carried out on all drug-related deaths.
A completely different picture emerges in the USA: According to a report in the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
, 110,000 people died there in 2022 due to drug overdoses, two thirds of which can be attributed to the consumption of synthetic opioids.
Among Americans under 50, fentanyl is a leading cause of death.
Fentanyl in heroin: The problem is already that big in Germany
The federal model project RaFT, carried out by the German Aidshilfe, examined the spread of fentanyl in heroin in Germany.
Over a six-month period, 17 drug consumption rooms carried out rapid tests.
In some federal states, such as Bavaria, this was not possible because there are no drug consumption rooms due to legal regulations.
The results showed that 3.56 percent of the heroin samples tested (50 doses) contained fentanyl.
Hamburg was particularly affected, where eleven percent of the heroin samples were laced with fentanyl.
The presence of fentanyl in heroin poses a significant danger to users because the substance is significantly stronger than heroin and can be fatal in even the smallest amounts.
In addition, the dosage is difficult.
Fentanyl cost Martin his life.
He died of an overdose at just 23 years old.
(Symbolic image) © Imago/Pond5 Images
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Determining how widespread fentanyl in heroin really is in Germany is difficult, especially in places with a low number of positive detections.
In addition, investigations could not be carried out in all federal states.
Nevertheless, the result shows that the retail and scene structures in Germany have not yet changed as dramatically as in the USA.
This means that the situation is currently not the same as in North America.
Taliban ban poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and fentanyl could replace heroin
However, concerns about the emergence of fentanyl in Germany are not unfounded.
To date, Germany has not experienced a shortage of heroin on the black market, but this could change.
One possible reason for this is the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan, a major producer of opium poppies, which are needed to make heroin.
In April 2022, the Taliban put an end to opium poppy cultivation, resulting in a 95 percent decline in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
This could lead to a shortage of heroin, which may be offset by the more potent fentanyl.
Interpol is also sounding the alarm about increasing fentanyl use in Europe.
“The fact is that fentanyl is already in Europe, is extremely potent and must be treated as an imminent threat,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock told Welt
am Sonntag
.
Even if the amounts in Europe cannot be compared to those in North America, they should “cause concern among law enforcement and health authorities due to the high addictive potential,” Stock said.
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