Among the most severely addicted people in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel, crack cocaine continues to be the most commonly used drug. This is the result of the so-called in-depth study by drug researchers at Frankfurt's Goethe University, which will be published this Thursday. The data is based on surveys of 150 addicts in the period from June to August 2022, said Bernd Werse, one of the authors of the study, which has been conducted every two years since 2002. While the annual school surveys shed light on whether and which drugs young people consume at Frankfurt schools, the in-depth studies focus on the tough scene that shapes the image of the Bahnhofsviertel.

"For us, this study provides important clues to the current development in the scene," said Artur Schroers, head of the Frankfurt Drug Department. It is also a matter of adapting offers of help.

Crack cocaine use is rising sharply

In the survey, 77 percent of respondents said they had smoked crack cocaine in the previous 24 hours. A total of 32 percent had used heroin - in 2020 it had been 60 percent. Why heroin was so much less in demand, the scientists can not yet answer. "It is possible that random factors play a role," Werse said. "We still have little knowledge about this."

Crack cocaine, on the other hand, had hardly played a role in the first survey in 2000 and had been consumed by only three percent of respondents. In recent years, consumption has risen sharply.