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A park in bourgeois Berlin-Zehlendorf.

Two benches.

A couple of laughing teenagers.

And the unmistakable smell of cannabis that has wafted through the green areas of the capital since the lockdown as if it were as natural as the smell of modern lawn clippings and dog poo.

There are not yet any statistics that would confirm the impression with numbers that there is more smoking in Corona times.

Psychologists know, however, that the general state of emergency - taking breaks from sports clubs, the difficulty of meeting friends, living close together in the family - increases tensions and thus the risk of using drugs to relax.

But the lockdown makes one thing very certain: it shifts what otherwise happens in bars, clubs and children's rooms to the outside - and has been a concern for addiction experts for a long time.

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According to the latest drug report, adolescents smoke and drink less alcohol than ever before, cannabis use is increasing significantly and begins earlier and earlier.

In 2011, 4.6 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds stated that they smoke cannabis in a survey by the Federal Center for Health Education, but now it is 10.4 percent of this age group.

Kiffer capital Berlin

Most alarming, however, are the Berlin numbers.

The specialist center for addiction prevention, which develops and coordinates measures with the support of the Senate Health Administration, anonymously interviewed 1,725 ​​children and young people between the ages of twelve and 18 as part of educational seminars at schools in 2019.

According to this, a good third had cannabis experience.

21 percent of those surveyed were younger than 14. When they first made a joint, adolescents in the capital are 14.6 years old when they consume for the first time, which is 1.8 years younger than the national average.

27 percent of consumers stated that they smoke pot several times a week, often in the morning before school starts.

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"Sometimes it seems like a piece of normality," says Christina Schadt from the management team at the Addiction Prevention Unit.

"We need to act."

Christina Schadt, management team at the Specialist Office for Addiction Prevention Berlin: Young people should learn to say no

Source: Bettina Keller

The experts see their task in promoting so-called risk competence.

“All children learn to cross the street because that is important in everyday life.

They should also learn to deal with the risk of addiction. ”For this it is important to develop mindfulness for your own needs, to learn: I can also say no.

The fact that this is particularly important in Berlin has not least to do with the large party scene.

A 2018 survey of club-goers carried out on behalf of the Senate found that more than half of those surveyed felt that drugs were simply part of the celebration.

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For Burkard Dregger, domestic policy spokesman and parliamentary group leader of the Berlin CDU, it is no coincidence that the capital is so attractive for dealers and consumers.

Dregger points out that Berlin is the only federal state that tolerates 15 grams of cannabis for its own use.

The public prosecutor's office does not have to, but can discontinue drug possession proceedings with this amount.

In most federal states, the personal consumption limit is five to six grams.

"Drug dealers from all over Europe have found their way to Berlin," says Burkard Dregger (CDU)

Source: picture alliance / Britta Pedersen / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa

15 grams, according to Dregger, is not a personal requirement, but a monthly ration or an amount that is worth dealing with.

“Organized crime is happy about this aid from the red-red-green coalition,” said Dregger.

“Drug dealers from all over Europe have found their way to Berlin.” So that the city is no longer a magnet for drug traffickers, the personal consumption limit must be reduced to less than six grams and enforced with tough restrictions.

The police union (GdP) is also watching the growing number of young drug users with great concern.

However, an increased police presence at drug hotspots is not a panacea, but leads to displacement.

“We can see that the dealers are mobile, bring material to the people by subway or bike,” says Benjamin Jendro, GdP press spokesman.

Because neither bans nor criminal prosecution restrict cannabis use, calls from the Greens, the Left and the SPD for legalization for adults are repeatedly loud.

The Berlin Senate's plan to scientifically determine whether a state-controlled charge would make consumer behavior less risky, however, failed at the responsible Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, which refused to approve it.

"Parents really have to make a big deal"

While politicians debate the pros and cons of decriminalization, Berlin's youngsters happily continue smoking weed.

In all districts and milieus.

Especially in the bourgeois.

"Drug consumption can also be a symptom of luxury neglect," says Ottmar Hummel, senior consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry at the DRK clinics in Berlin Westend.

Many parents, who have little time because they work a lot, calmed their conscience with material oversupply.

Senior doctor Ottmar Hummel warns parents not to downplay drug problems

Source: private

In such a lifestyle, however, the concept of postponing needs no longer occurs, says Hummel.

It is precisely what brings happiness to a person: making an effort to achieve something.

Luxury neglect weaned people from pursuing their own goals and thus deprived them of the normal concept of happiness.

"The temptation to take the pill that promises a good life is relatively obvious."

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Parents who downplay drug problems because they smoked weed themselves in their youth and now say to themselves that something has become of them are also a problem.

But drug use in the 80s and 90s cannot be compared with the situation today.

“In the past,” says Hummel, “a joint went around in a group of 20 people and everyone was happy.

Today I have patients who consume seven grams of cannabis a day all by themselves.

In addition, the strains that are now on the market are much higher dosed. ”The level of the psychoactive substance THC in cannabis has doubled since 2006.

Ottmar Hummel deals with the consequences for the development of the brain in children and adolescents.

And they can be fatal.

“Anyone who starts using cannabis regularly as a teenager runs the risk of having stopped somewhere by the age of 20.

These young adults are often very infantile, larmoyant, self-pitying, they ask others to look after them, and they don't want to do anything themselves. "

Drugs, according to Hummel, change people, make them less anxious and make the question of the future less important.

Young people, however, have to learn to shape their lives of their own accord.

This ability is inhibited by addictive substances.

When parents discover that their child is using drugs and look for a way out, they have to react quickly, explains Hummel.

“Parents really have to make a big deal: set rules clearly, withdraw pocket money.

And then really understand the problem behind it.

But not according to the motto: you poor child have to take drugs because of problems. "

In fact, the parents would often read first that problems are the reason for the consumption and conclude from this: I look for a psychotherapist and he will solve the problem.

But it is quite unlikely that a weekly meeting will get the youngsters to stop consuming.

“So you often lose time.

But that's the problem. ”It is advisable to go to a drug counseling center in order to try to change something quickly with as many allies as possible and also with other parents.

Because cannabis increases the frequency of diseases such as psychosis.

Just like with the 18-year-old who is one of Hummel's patients.

He was paranoid, talked confusedly, and could no longer sleep.

His parents eventually found out that he was using cannabis.

After therapy he was able to go back to school.

“But he has relapsed and is now also consuming amphetamines,” says Hummel.

"He is aggressive, sleepless, the parents who have been looking after him for years can no longer move him to anything."

New anti-cannabis campaign specifically aimed at young people

The drug commissioner Daniela Ludwig wants to target young people in particular with an anti-cannabis campaign.

Because the number of very young people who gain experience with cannabis has been rising again for some time.

Source: WELT / Matthias Heinrich