Drugs policy and the city in Europe

This paper explores existing and emerging drug problems and responses in the city environment. It addresses four areas: urban spaces and drug use, businesses and recreational drug use, city-level drugs policies and the coordination and funding of city-level policies. The paper is based on three data sources: a review of scientific literature, grey literature, and national reports from the Reitox network of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Two main categories of city-level problems related to drug use are identified: one centres on problematic forms of drug use such as use of opioids and injection, the other on recreational use of licit and illicit substances. So-called open drug scenes, where drug users congregate and high-risk drug use takes place in public spaces, were found in several cities. The open drug scenes vary by visibility, size and the type of location in which they occur. Cities differ in the level of access they provide for problem drug users to opioid substitution treatment, needle and syringe exchange programmes and low-threshold services, and in the geographical coverage of such interventions. In cities, extensive nightlife zones can be found. Concentrations of bars and clubs, and in some cases cannabis coffee shops and head shops, provide a focus for recreational drug use. Different measures have been implemented in nightlife settings to respond to drug use, including drug prevention interventions and 'pill testing' services. This study identified 10 capital cities with an active drugs strategy document. Generally, city authorities are formally responsible for the coordination of drugs policy in the municipality. A number of Europe's capital cities allocate a dedicated budget to the implementation of their drugs strategies.