Drogen in der Westschweiz – Yverdon und die Crack-Epidemie | Die offene Drogenszene in Yverdon-les-Bains hat sich innert kürzester Zeit verdreifacht. Was bedeutet das für die Stadt?

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>The idyllic old town of Yverdon and the New York neighbourhood of the Bronx, long notorious for its drug-related crime, might seem to have nothing in common. Yet, Alexandre Mauri, who has run his family’s shoe shop here for 34 years, says: “There were weeks this year when we felt like we were in the Bronx.”

>His customers were harassed by dealers, his shop windows were smashed, and drug addicts used the entrance to his store as a toilet.

>“You can’t avoid the open drug scene in Yverdon’s town centre,” says Mauri. He believes the authorities share the blame for the situation: “They completely ignored the problem.” As a result, a petition now sits on the counter of Chaussures Mauri. It demands a zero-tolerance approach.

>__”The square is a dream for dealers”__

>The centre of Yverdon’s drug trade is Place d’Armes, the large square between the train station and the old town. Many young men loiter conspicuously on the benches.

>Most of them are drug dealers, according to Marc Dumartheray, commander of the Nord Vaudois police. The Place d’Armes is ideal for dealers: “It offers access to all forms of transport—trains, buses, parking spaces for customers wanting to buy drugs. Plus, the square has hiding spots and escape routes.”

>Last spring, Yverdon’s drug scene exploded. Crack, known for its extremely fast addictiveness, spread rapidly. Within a short time, the number of drug users tripled, and the level of violence increased.

>Police commander Dumartheray rejects accusations that the police are not doing enough. “It’s very rare nowadays for dealers or addicts to attack citizens.” The police have increased their presence here by two-thirds. But eliminating the drug trade entirely, he says, is not something he can achieve.

>__Is zero tolerance a utopia?__

>Christian Weiler, the Yverdon city official responsible for public safety, also considers zero tolerance unrealistic. For the liberal politician, Yverdon’s open drug scene is not a local issue but a societal one.

>“Perhaps we neglected prevention and support for addicts. Open drug scenes were once a marginal phenomenon.” Now, the drug problem has returned, and the authorities are unprepared.

>__More police is not enough__

>At Zone Bleue, a drop-in centre for drug addicts in central Yverdon, addicts can get a cheap meal, take a shower, or exchange used drug paraphernalia for clean supplies.

>Katia, who visits regularly, used to inject heroin but now smokes crack. She has been familiar with the drug scene for 30 years. “It’s never been as brutal as it is today. Since crack came along, there’s been so much violence. You could die, and no one would care.”

>Katia understands why many in Yverdon find the drug scene between the train station and old town unacceptable. But she believes that more police are not the solution. Instead, she argues for a safe space where drug use is permitted. “With a place like that, you wouldn’t have all the problems of the open drug scene,” Katia says.

>Drug users, the police commander, and the politician all agree on one point: more police alone will not be enough to tackle the current crack epidemic.

It means that we’re having a mental health crisis.

Is there still people so dumb that they think the problem is migrants selling it and not swiss people doing metric tons of drugs ? If it’s not migrants it’ll be your nephew who dropped from school. The problem is why do so many people do so much drugs.

The war on drugs has NEVER been won with repression. But it feeds psychos fantasies about jailing people I guess.