Controlled fentanyl use: what San Francisco can learn from Zurich

San Francisco is in the grip of an opioid crisis. Allowing users to inject drugs in a controlled environment, as the Swiss city of Zurich has done in the past, could be a solution. But there is a hitch. Swiss expatriate Gianmatteo Costanza chairs the San Francisco Committee, which nurtures ties between the Californian city and Zurich. The committee provides input on issues where the two municipalities can work together. SWI swissinfo.ch: Gianmatteo Costanza, what subjects have you focussed on recently? Gianmatteo Costanza: Over the past few years, the two cities have shared their experiences on how to deal with drug use, which is a big problem in San Francisco. The Zurich model of the Platzspitz “Needle Park”, which was operational in Zurich in the [1980s and] 1990s, could be a solution for San Francisco. SWI: You mean a place where addicts can use drugs openly? G.C.: Exactly. Controlled drug dispensaries were already part of our collaboration agreement in 2018, when San...