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Drug deaths among young people: Experts urgently call for clarification!
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is seeing an alarming increase in drug-related deaths among young people. Experts are urgently calling for comprehensive information and measures.
Drug deaths among young people: Experts urgently call for clarification!
The drug problem in Germany is worrying, especially when it comes to young people. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the number of drug-related deaths among teenagers has increased alarmingly World reported. In recent years, two young people aged 13 and 15 have died as a result of drug use. The responsibility to counteract this lies with adults - but there is a lack of comprehensive information.
Birgit Grämke, managing director of the state coordination center for addiction issues, urgently calls for more measures to save lives. While the numbers were previously in the low single digits, there have already been 20 drug-related deaths between 2020 and 2021. Eleven tragedies were reported in 2022 alone, 16 in 2023 and 15 again in 2024. Particularly alarming is the case of a 15-year-old who died after consuming pills from the “Red Super Marios” series. The death of a 13-year-old after taking a high-dose “Blue Punisher” pill was similarly tragic. Access to dangerous substances has become shockingly easy for young people, making these tragic cases even sadder.
Education is essential
Grämke emphasizes that the young generation is looking for a high, but by no means wants to die. However, you need more knowledge about the dangers associated with drug use. There is a lack of regular drug education in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. To counteract this, 25 drug prevention workers have already been trained, and a second training course for a further 25 is in preparation. However, these workers can only work part-time and work on request, which is not enough.
A bright spot are the steps taken in Schwerin, where two prevention workers were hired and their own educational plan was developed. Drug checking at events is also considered useful and could help many consumers. However, the mayor of Neubrandenburg, Nico Klose, points out that there is currently no concrete drug policy in Neubrandenburg. In addition, wastewater tests show high drug residues in the city, which further illustrates the problem.
The nationwide situation
Access to illegal drugs has become increasingly easier in recent decades. Social media and youth competitions help influence consumer behavior. Dirk Schäffer from the German Aids Association describes ignorance about drug mixtures as a major problem and calls for a broader social destigmatization of drugs and a reform of drug policy. Above all, the positive effects of drug consumption rooms in other countries should not be ignored. These have not caused a single death in over 35 years.
In order to improve the situation, comprehensive information is required. Only through concrete measures and an open approach to the issue can we prevent even more young people from losing their lives to drugs.