DRUG POLICY AND THE SYSTEM OF CARE AND TREATMENT IN THE FEDERAL-REPUBLIC-OF-GERMANY

In this article the absurdity of the prevailing drug policy in the Fed eral Republic of Germany is shown. The hithero existing system of care and treatment has been determined by the logic of criminalization; mo reover, its range and effect was rather small. Instead of at least mak ing corrections to this ineffective and inhuman system, German drug po licy continues-despite some promising alternative approaches in some o f the federal states - according to the slogan 'more of the same' and propagates the 'war on drugs'. The author, however, pleads for a 'chan ge of paradigm' in drug policy, in which the idea of acceptance, decri minalization, pluralization of offers as well as communication-orienta ted drug-prevention would play a prominent role.