US embassy cable - 04FRANKFURT2404

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 FRANKFURT 002404 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS, EUR/ERA, INL 
DOJ FOR OIA, AFMLS, NDDS 
TREASURY FOR FINCIN 
USEU FOR DOJ 
DEA HQS ONDCP 
DEPT PASS IRS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, SNAR, SOCI, GM 
SUBJECT: FRANKFURT'S MODEL DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM 
FACES NEW HURDLES 
 
REFTEL: FRANKFURT 0567 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  In just a decade, Frankfurt has evolved from being 
Germany's drug capital to a city that uses an innovative and 
widely-praised initiative to treat and rehabilitate addicts. 
In meetings with Pol/Econ reps, police and city officials 
report new challenges, namely dealing with crack use and 
coping with substantial budget cuts at the state level. 
Police also note significant drug use among the city's large 
immigrant population (almost 28 percent of Frankfurt 
residents do not hold a German passport).  Post is working 
on a separate cable to address Frankfurt's role as a major 
transit point for ecstasy entering the U.S. market.  End 
Summary. 
 
Frankfurt Uses Old Method to Fight New Foe 
------------------------------------------ 
 
2.  The city of Frankfurt gained worldwide recognition in 
the 1990s for an integrated anti-narcotics approach that 
emphasizes treatment and rehabilitation.  Officials 
established "fixer rooms" within the city where addicts 
could use clean needles (under medical supervision) without 
fear of arrest.  Those participating in the voluntary 
program receive free counseling and job training, and 
doctors provide methadone replacement therapy for users 
trying to shake their heroin addiction.  Other health 
services include needle exchange and condom distribution. 
The city's efforts were successful, with the number of 
registered drug addicts in Frankfurt declining 38 percent in 
five years (from 5,039 in 1993 to 3,138 in 1998).  Drug- 
related deaths dropped from 108 in 1990 to 30 a decade 
later.  Cities around the world (including Vancouver) 
modeled their anti-narcotics initiatives on the Frankfurt 
system. 
 
3.  As the nineties drew to a close, however, overall drug 
use in Frankfurt began to climb because of increased crack 
cocaine consumption, rising to 4,044 registered drug addicts 
in 2002 (the last year for which statistics were available). 
Confiscation of narcotics by the police suggest an increased 
availability of cocaine -- according to Frankfurt Police 
Head for Anti-Drug Operations Werner Roth, city law 
enforcement confiscated 60 kilograms of cocaine in 2002, 
double the amount seized in 1998.  Authorities confiscated 
four kg of crack in 2002, up from 2.6 kg in 1998. 
Meanwhile, Roth noted a considerable decline in the supply 
of heroin, with only 25 kg confiscated in 2002 (as opposed 
to 73 kg in 1998).  Crack users also indulged in their 
addiction more frequently, with 71 percent of crack addicts 
surveyed in a 2002 Frankfurt study using the drug at least 
once daily. 
 
4.  Despite the lack of effective replacement therapy and a 
higher propensity for violence among crack users, Frankfurt 
Drug Office Deputy Chief Juergen Weimer reports some success 
in the city's efforts to stem crack use. Adopting the same 
treatment-based approach used for heroin addicts, he notes 
that the percentage of patients remaining clean after 
rehabilitation has risen to 45 percent.  Weimer also asserts 
that key statistics (including number of drug users and 
amount of drug-related deaths) in Frankfurt have leveled out 
since 2002. 
 
State Budget Cuts Curtail Parts of Frankfurt Program 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
5.  Sharp reductions in the amount of state assistance to 
Frankfurt threaten to curtail the city's treatment-based 
approach.  Hesse's 2004 budget cuts support for drug 
assistance programs by approximately 33 percent, a decrease 
that threatens counseling and treatment centers targeting 
youth.  Frankfurt depends upon state support to maintain 
these facilities, and the reduction in funding may force 
several to close. 
 
Drug Use Among Frankfurt's Immigrants on the Rise 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
6.  Frankfurt police also express concern over the rising 
use of drugs among the city's immigrant population, 
especially among ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union 
(Russo-Germans).  Although no statistics measuring the 
extent of drug use among this group (they are listed as 
"German" because of their ethnic heritage) exist, police 
contend it is widespread.  Hesse's budget cuts will force 
several centers in an area with a high Russo-German 
population to close, potentially further aggravating the 
problem (reftel).  Police advocate closer coordination with 
immigration officials and a political recognition of the 
link between immigration and drugs. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
7.  Frankfurt's international character and geographic 
location have long made it a popular staging area for new 
trends in narcotics use.  The city's treatment-based 
approach to deal with heroin addiction reaped substantial 
dividends in the 1990s, but authorities are struggling to 
fine-tune their approach to deal with new challenges.  The 
increasing prominence of crack cocaine, rising drug use 
among immigrants, and the advent of designer drugs like 
ecstasy (septel) could threaten the effectiveness of a 
system stretched thin by recent budget cuts.  End comment.