A photo report on Swiss drug policy: Health, safety, public, order

Switzerland’s 4 pillars drug strategy (treatment, harm reduction, prevention and law enforcement) has reduced drug-related crime, increased stability, eliminated open drug scenes, resulted in less young initiations into heroin use, improved quality of life and general health of drug users. A special governmental body called the SIP ‘Security, Intervention, Prevention’, composed of 70 social workers, ethnographers, and psychologists walk around Zurich every day to solve or mediate public order issues by approaching individuals respectfully and without stigma, with the intention to deescalate situations and provide help before the police intervene.

Arud, an institution which provides holistic drug treatment including methadone, heroin assisted treatment, buphrenorphone (subutex), internal medicine physicians (HIV, Hepatitis, et al.), psychiatric and psychological help, social services and assistance with employment. The Zürich remand centre (equivalent to police lockup in Malaysia) has doctors, psychiatrists and general health workers that practice screening of prisoners, and enable detainees to access HIV medication, methadone, and other medications.

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