Drugs policy and the city in Europe Eoghan Quigley

A window on new drug trends Businesses and recreational Coordinating and funding I drug use city-level policies The European Union is one of the most urbanised areas in the world and its cities Cities often have a high density of premises where FIGURE 3 | Coordinating drugs policy at city level are set to become more densely populated. psychoactive substances are sold and consumed. Frequently, specific areas exist where many of National, regional Currently 73 % of the EU population resides in or local structures only these businesses are clustered together. This can City authorities responsible Drugs cities and this is projected to increase to coordinator 82 % (or 30 million new residents) by 2050. give rise to zones where drug use and intoxication coordination Other structures The EMCDDA analysisDrugs policy and the city are tolerated, if not accepted. Given the diversity of structure coordinate policy in Europe shows how modern cities play host the drug problems found in such areas, a spectrum Helsinki Oslo to a diverse set of drug-using populations and of responses are implemented. These range Stockholm from prevention and harm-reduction initiatives in Riga related health, social and security problems. Amsterdam Copenhagen recreational settings (e.g. information campaigns, London Vilnius Dublin Prague Warsaw Berlin pill-testing) to legislative measures targeting new Brussels Bratislava emcdda.europa.eu/publications/emcdda- Budapest psychoactive substances and street-based outlets papers/drug-policy-and-the-city Paris Vienna for their sale. Bucharest

Madrid

Lisbon Ankara I Urban spaces and drug use FIGURE 1 | Open drug scenes in European capital cities City authorities are responsible for coordinating drug policy, sometimes this being established by law (Helsinki, Madrid, Warsaw). Some cities credit: iStock have dedicated drug policy units (Helsinki, City-level drug policies Madrid, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, Vienna), while I others address drug issues via generic policy Helsinki Stockholm Oslo Strategies frequently mirror the focus of national units (e.g. London). Officially appointed ‘city drug

Riga and regional level documents (Berlin, Helsinki, coordinators’ exist in some capitals (Berlin, Prague, Copenhagen Vilnius Lisbon, Madrid, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw). Other Vienna, Warsaw). Where no formal coordination Dublin Amsterdam Warsaw Berlin cities adopt a more thematic approach, addressing structures exist at city level, national-, regional- or Brussels Prague Bratislava specific issues such as open drug scenes Vienna local-level structures are responsible for strategy Paris Budapest Bucharest (Copenhagen, Oslo), antisocial behaviour (Dublin) implementation (Ankara, Bratislava, Bucharest, and crack cocaine (London, Paris). Elsewhere Dublin). A number of Europe’s capitals have

Madrid Lisbon Ankara (Brussels, Riga, Vilnius), drug issues are included in dedicated drug strategy budgets that fund entire other city-level strategic documents, such as those agencies or services provided by agencies. The Current open drug No open drug No data scene reported scene reported focusing on crime or public health. Dedicated local available expenditure figures range from drug monitoring systems exist in some cities, while EUR 6.5 million in Berlin to EUR 29.4 million in Eight capital cities report current ‘open drug others use ad hoc methods to monitor drug use. Madrid in 2011. scenes’. These vary from the ‘concentrated’ (up to hundreds of users per day) to the ‘dispersed’ FIGURE 2 | Drug issues and city-level strategy documents

National, regional or (multiple smaller gatherings), with many local strategies only Current city-level drugs strategy Other city-level fluctuating from one type to the other. Common strategy covers features exist: the presence of polydrug use (often drug issues involving heroin, prescription medications and strategies alcohol); health issues linked to injecting (infection Helsinki

Oslo with HIV and hepatitis B and C viruses); and Stockholm problems relating to congregations of users Riga Amsterdam Copenhagen London Vilnius (criminality, public nuisance). Current responses Dublin Prague Warsaw Berlin include needle- and syringe-exchange programmes, Brussels Bratislava Budapest drop-in centres, drug consumption rooms and Paris Vienna measures to reduce drug-related litter (e.g. sharps Bucharest credit: iStock bins, needle-exchange machines). Madrid

Lisbon Ankara

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