You must feel the sweat in your eyes!
In the 1980s, Switzerland had the largest open drug scene in the whole of Europe. As a schoolboy,
I literally had to walk past drug addicts shooting up heroin in public on my way to school. The parks where these drug addicts stayed looked unimaginably disgusting. The most notorious park, Platzspitz…
In the 1980s, Switzerland had the largest open drug scene in the whole of Europe. As a schoolboy,
I literally had to walk past drug addicts shooting up heroin in public on my way to school. The parks where these drug addicts stayed looked unimaginably disgusting. The most notorious park, Platzspitz in Zurich, was hell on earth and known throughout Europe only as Needle Park.
Acquisitive crime, street prostitution, HIV and AIDS were skyrocketing!
We were the shame of the western world.
You can google all this - I am not exaggerating a bit!
It is only thanks to the determined, courageous and radical action of a social democratic minister (Ruth Dreifuss) that the drug situation in Switzerland today seems almost like paradise.
How did Ruth Dreifuss manage this?
1. a lot of money
1. a lot of money
1. a lot of money
2. compulsory basic insurance for all
3. distribution of methadone
4. distribution of sterile syringes
5. provision of sheltered houses where drug addicts can "safely" use drugs
6. provision of treatment and drug withdrawal places
7. and only at the very end more repression
The opposition to this policy was huge. The minister was dubbed the biggest drug dealer in Europe - even the UN spoke out against it.
But this policy was effective!
The citizens saw the improvements and gave their approval.
Today, Switzerland's drug situation is almost paradisiacal.
I don't see that the US politicians and the US citizens can muster the necessary courage and vision to tackle the drug/homeless problem.
There are no easy recipes, only very hard work and very high costs.
You must feel the sweat in your eyes!
In the 1980s, Switzerland had the largest open drug scene in the whole of Europe. As a schoolboy,
I literally had to walk past drug addicts shooting up heroin in public on my way to school. The parks where these drug addicts stayed looked unimaginably disgusting. The most notorious park, Platzspitz in Zurich, was hell on earth and known throughout Europe only as Needle Park.
Acquisitive crime, street prostitution, HIV and AIDS were skyrocketing!
We were the shame of the western world.
You can google all this - I am not exaggerating a bit!
It is only thanks to the determined, courageous and radical action of a social democratic minister (Ruth Dreifuss) that the drug situation in Switzerland today seems almost like paradise.
How did Ruth Dreifuss manage this?
1. a lot of money
1. a lot of money
1. a lot of money
2. compulsory basic insurance for all
3. distribution of methadone
4. distribution of sterile syringes
5. provision of sheltered houses where drug addicts can "safely" use drugs
6. provision of treatment and drug withdrawal places
7. and only at the very end more repression
The opposition to this policy was huge. The minister was dubbed the biggest drug dealer in Europe - even the UN spoke out against it.
But this policy was effective!
The citizens saw the improvements and gave their approval.
Today, Switzerland's drug situation is almost paradisiacal.
I don't see that the US politicians and the US citizens can muster the necessary courage and vision to tackle the drug/homeless problem.
There are no easy recipes, only very hard work and very high costs.
Elton John sang it best:
It's gotta take a lot of salvation
What we need are willing hands
You must feel the sweat in your eyes
You must understand salvation