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How Steyr became the crystal meth capital

This is what crystalline crystal meth looks like. According to a wastewater analysis, the substance is very popular in Steyr.

(Bild: RALPH ORLOWSKI)

(Bild: MUI/D. Bullock)

Outside Eisenstadt, the dealers are standing on their feet - this cliché doesn't really apply to Steyr. The "Krone" newspaper has investigated why the town nevertheless occupies the inglorious third place behind Vienna and Wiener Neustadt in the consumption of the stimulant drug crystal meth.

The statutory town of Steyr made the headlines because it came third behind Wiener Neustadt and Vienna in the nationwide annual wastewater-based drug monitoring carried out by the University of Innsbruck, making it the crystal meth capital of Upper Austria - we have already reported on this.

Only random samples
However, this is a misinterpretation of the facts, explains university professor Herbert Oberacher when asked by Krone: "You have to think of it like this: We have been investigating wastewater since 2016. We now cover 16 regions across Austria, where we take samples of the wastewater at sewage treatment plants for seven days, which are then analyzed here in Innsbruck.

This means we cover 38 percent of the Austrian population, especially since Vienna has also been included."

1.5 milligrams

1.5 milligrams of stimulants, just over a glass of wine and three to four cigarettes a day, as well as 0.07 joints - this is the statistical daily per capita consumption.

Steyr collecting basin
Steyr is the only collection point in Upper Austria. This sewage treatment plant not only treats wastewater from the city, but also from the surrounding communities of Behamberg, Haidershofen (both in Lower Austria), Kronstorf, Aschach an der Steyr, Dietach, Garsten, St. Ulrich bei Steyr, Sierning and Wolfern.

Why the high values?
But back to the devil's rock drug crystal meth: why is it so strongly represented in Steyr? It's because of its proximity to the Czech Republic, which is the hotspot for this drug in Europe - and therefore radiates into neighboring regions, i.e. Upper Austria in our case, the eastern regions of Germany and Bavaria.

Chemist and university professor Herbert Oberacher and his team have been monitoring wastewater since 2016.

(Bild: MUI/D. Bullock)

Marginal phenomenon
Oberacher knows: "Compared to cannabis and cocaine, methamphetamine is only detectable at a low level here, and in reality is only a marginal phenomenon."

Another drug on the rise
While the levels of most illegal substances have remained stable in recent years, there has been an occasional increase in meth, but it has since fallen again. Cocaine consumption is really on the rise.

ÖVP wants a war on drugs
The ÖVP reacted to the waste water monitoring in a martial manner: "Austria must not let up in the fight against drugs! Therefore, there must be no softening of the anti-drug stance either domestically or towards neighboring regions abroad. Instead, Austria must lead an anti-drug alliance in the EU that opposes attempts to relax the possession, cultivation and consumption of drugs!" - said Florian Hiegelsberger, the ÖVP's regional managing director. He is campaigning for more controls in the border region.

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Aufplustern bringt auch nichts

So, on the left, the ÖVP does not want to overtake the FPÖ at the moment. When it comes to integration and now also the pre-election issue of drugs, the state blacks are trying to step on the gas in order to move into the fast lane politically after all.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

This seems unintentionally comical, as they should have already had the chance to improve things as the leading party for decades. As far as drugs are concerned - for years, all political groups looked on and looked away with otherwise rare unanimity, because there was nothing to be gained from the fight against them anyway. Incidentally, always involving the police is not particularly original.