The new development is down to active prevention policies. The most important element is the drug shelter "Abrigado" in Luxembourg City, which opened in 2005. It has now reached its limits, which has led to the development of a second shelter in Esch, set to open in September.
RTL's Annick Goerens discussed the role of the drug shelter with users in the city recently, while preserving their anonymity.
One consumer said she was first exposed to drugs at the age of 14, now 53 years old.
Another said he had lost four family members in the space of a year, and began smoking cigars after the loss of his father, in his memory. This led to alcohol and then to drugs at the age of 12. The user described this as the biggest mistake of his life.
There are many ways in which users fall into drug usage, whether through traumatic events, a desire to test their limits, or simple confusion, but it is difficult to make their way back once it has begun. The "Contact" shelter in Esch will become the second drug house to open in the Grand Duchy. Worldwide the shelters number just 90.
Serge Grissius, a social worker for youth and drug assistance, explained that the shelter is a site where people can consume drugs in safe, sanitary conditions. The shelter does not provide drugs, it simply provides a safe option for users.
Abrigado in Bonnevoie receives around 200 visitors per day, and consumers are feeling the effects. One user said it used to feel like a familiar safe space, but ascribes its current condition to "Moroccans and Arabs", accusing them of dealing and brawling. Police make regular visits to the shelter.
A second shelter in Esch could decentralise the issue, relieving Abrigado of some of the burden. The fear that a kind of "ghetto" could spring up in Esch, as in Bonnevoie, exists, but it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
Grissius said it should be noted that drug consumption is already an issue in Esch, pointing out that his organisation has been actively providing assistance for some years. The new shelter will help to take people off the streets for some time each day, without creating new issues.
The youth and drug assistance organisation will run the Contact shelter in Esch. In its first phase, the shelter will open as a cafe, followed by the full drug shelter opening its doors in September.
"Only the drugs help me forget": inside Luxembourg's drug consumption room
