Wednesday 22, March
On Wednesday, there were 495 new Covid-19 infections reported in Berlin. The seven-day incidence currently stands at 51.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Berlin using more cocaine, crystal meth and speed, but less MDMA
Judging by its drug use, Berlin is a less happy, more chatty place than it was five years ago. New data has revealed that cocaine consumption is up by 58 percent in the city compared to its 2018 level. With a 70 percent increase, use of crystal meth has also risen dramatically, while consumption of amphetamines like speed is up by almost 30 percent. On the other side of the ledger, use of MDMA has fallen by 20 percent.
The data comes from an analysis of wastewater residues undertaken by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) who released their study of 104 European countries on Wednesday. In terms of cocaine consumption, Berlin was number one in Germany, but in 16th place in Europe, behind cities such as Antwerp (1), Amsterdam (3), Zürich (5) and Lisbon (9). Despite the decline overall, Berlin still leads the country in MDMA consumption, though it trails several other German cities in its intake of crystal meth and speed.
