The federal government wants to set up new contact and drop-in centres for people suffering from addiction. This was announced on Thursday following a meeting with cities, cantons and specialist organisations on the current crack cocaine situation.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Check out our selection of newsletters. Subscribe here.
According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), investment in facilities in areas where there are currently no addiction centres may be worthwhile in terms of alleviating the current crack cocaine situation and preparing for future developments.
Those present at the discussion agreed that people affected by addiction can be supported at an early stage with a network of psychosocial and medical addiction support services. FOPH Director Anne Lévy pointed out that psychosocial support makes an important contribution to harm reduction and addiction support, and that society also benefits from this approach.
Crack use on the rise
The Federal Commission on Addiction and the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases is calling for further measures to counteract the growing problem of crack cocaine and drug use. Among other things, innovative treatment and therapy forums and new strategies to combat drug supply should be developed and the exchange of knowledge and experience between cities and experts should be strengthened.
The use of cocaine in the form of smokable crack or ‘freebase’ has increased rapidly in Switzerland, wrote the FOPH. The substances are also increasingly being consumed in public spaces, which also affects the population.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, cocaine is the most commonly used drug in Switzerland after cannabis. In 2022, 6.2% of people aged between 15 and 64 stated that they had used cocaine at least once in their lives.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kc/sb
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.