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The consumption space in Chur is likely to be delayed by at least half a year. The backgrounds.
Chur has one of the largest open drug scenes in Switzerland. Addicts meet in the city garden right in the center. Neglect, aggressiveness and acquisitive crime have increased. Part of the city council’s solution? A consumption space. But the supposed remedy could turn out to be a non-starter.
What are the problems in Chur? On the one hand the scene has grown significantly, on the other hand the consumption of freebase has increased. In Chur this was or is relatively easy to access. Freebase is cocaine boiled with ammonia and smoked.
Legend:
The city garden in Chur has developed into a larger Swiss drug scene.
Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller
How does the city council want to get the problem under control? An urban consumption space should improve the situation. In October 2023, the city of Chur presented the “clearly most suitable” location among 25 other locations on Sägenstrasse. The property near the center should be able to offer a low-threshold offer. The area already belongs to the city.
What problems are there with the planned consumption room? Resistance is forming in the neighborhood: residents of the planned location are collecting signatures to take action against the project. Not against the project of a consumption space per se, but “against a consumption space in this residential area”. There is a public playground in the immediate vicinity.
Legend:
The consumer space in Chur is to be built here.
SRF/Silvio Liechti
What about financing the consumption space? The city government now expects costs of 3.9 million francs to set up the consumption room and a three-year pilot operation instead of the previous 1.1 million francs. The original numbers were derived from existing consumption spaces in other cities.
Why does the consumption room suddenly cost three and a half times more? Drug consumption has changed since the original budget was calculated. This requires, for example, longer opening times, more qualified specialist staff and more infrastructure, explains city councilor Patrick Degiacomi.
To what extent has drug use changed? Cocaine-based drugs, which have a stimulating but more entertaining effect, are becoming increasingly common. Addicts come down from their drug habit more quickly, which means they search for new substances more quickly because of the addiction. This in turn leads to more acquisitive crime.
What’s next for the Chur consumer space? The additional costs lead to a delay. The new consumption space in Chur was originally scheduled to open in summer 2024. Due to the higher demand for credit of over three million francs, there is a mandatory financial referendum. A referendum is planned for June 9th, and the consumption room could be opened at the end of the year.