Germany recorded more than 2,000 deaths from illegal drugs in 2024 for the second consecutive year, official figures showed on Monday, as experts warned of an uptake in dangerous synthetic opioids, reported dpa.
A total of 2,137 drug deaths were recorded across the country last year, down from 2,227 in 2023, said Hendrik Streeck, the federal drugs commissioner.
Streeck said authorities must react to the spread of new illegal substances, especially among younger populations, with drug deaths up 14% year-on-year for under-30s.
"We must react faster, more systematically and stronger to new, more dangerous drugs," the commissioner said in Berlin.
Mixed consumption is a major problem: in 1,707 of the fatal cases, several substances were discovered, such as heroin, opioid substitutes such as methodone, crack cocaine and amphetamines.
There was a sharp rise in deaths related to synthetic opioids, which Streeck attributed to the ban on opium imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Afghan poppy fields have been destroyed on a large scale, with laboratory-produced opioids increasingly taken their place.
Streeck said that synthetic opioids such as nitazene or fentanyl, which can be up to 500 times more potent, are also frequently used as additives.
Users "don't even know how much is in there," said Streeck. "It can simply be fatal the first time you take it."
Drug-related deaths have been trending upwards for years.
"We've seen a doubling in the last 10 or 12 years, said Dirk Schäffer, drug policy officer at campaign group Deutsche Aidshilfe. "This is a catastrophe."
- Drugs
- Deaths
- Germany
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
