The mayors of Cologne and Düsseldorf, Torsten Burmester (SPD) and Stephan Keller (CDU), are advocating for the tolerance of what they term ‘micro-trafficking’ of illegal narcotics within local addiction support centers. This call was reported by the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” in its Friday edition.
In a joint discussion with the newspaper, the city leaders urged the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal government to establish the necessary legal provisions for this policy shift. Burmester stated that the cities are ready to serve as pioneering examples, while Keller added that the drug policy must be characterized by “courageously forging new paths.” Both mayors stressed that without a fundamental paradigm change, it will be impossible to effectively control the rapidly expanding drug scenes, particularly those involving crack, and manage the resulting consequences for their urban societies.
The inspiration for this initiative stems from the “Zurich Model,” an approach that has garnered international attention and is built upon four pillars: prevention, therapy, harm reduction, and repression. A key component of this model permits the sales or exchange of small quantities of hard drugs (micro-trafficking) exclusively between severely addicted consumers located within medically supervised drug assistance facilities. Crucially, outside of these designated zones, all forms of drug dealing are strictly enforced, whether carried out by small groups or organized criminal gangs. According to representatives from Zurich, this system has successfully helped limit drug dealing, consumption, and procurement crime, while simultaneously channeling consumers toward assistance programs.
However, in Germany, current legal hurdles regarding micro-trafficking are considered insurmountable. Under the Narcotics Act (BtMG), any trade in illegal drugs is a crime that must be prosecuted under the principle of legality. Burmester and Keller now argue that micro-trafficking could be made possible through a federal council initiative aimed at amending the BtMG. They point to the existing regulations for drug consumption rooms within the act as a template. They argue that if consumption can be permitted under strict conditions, the criminal penalties for consumption are dropped; similarly, they demand a comparable rule for strictly controlled micro-trafficking.
Even without an amendment to the BtMG, the mayors believe it is possible to establish an experimental clause. They referenced the joint agreement reached by the state prime ministers and the Chancellor in early December regarding state modernization. This accord stipulates that the federal and state governments must issue legal regulations within their respective jurisdictions by January 1, 2027, which will allow individual municipalities to be temporarily exempted from federal and state law for the purpose of “testing and evaluating exceptional rules.” The Düsseldorf mayor, Keller, told the FAZ that this framework should be utilized for scientifically monitored pilot programs on micro-trafficking.
