Kiosk of Solidarity X Bahnhofsviertel

Gedenktag verstorbene drogengebrauchende Menschen

On 21 July, Germany marks the annual Commemoration Day for People Who Have Died as a Result of Drug Use. Under this year's theme, "Change to Save Lives," Frankfurt's drug support organisations – Verein Arbeits- und Erziehungshilfe e.V. (vae), Integrative Drogenhilfe e.V. (idh), JES, BASIS e.V., and La Strada (AIDS-Hilfe Frankfurt e.V.) – commemorate the 45 people who have died in Frankfurt since last year's remembrance day as a result of drug use or related living conditions. Nationwide, 2,150 people died last year. Kiosk of Solidarity is joining the commemoration as part of the WDC 2026, participating in the public rally and memorial march.

The event emphasises that the Frankfurter Weg (Frankfurt Approach) has, for decades, been an internationally recognised model based on four interconnected pillars: prevention, counselling and treatment, harm reduction, and law enforcement. Its success depends on people who use drugs remaining reachable through low-threshold support services. The organisations therefore express growing concern about the continuing loss of public spaces available to drug users in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel. Displacement does not solve social problems; instead, it pushes people further away from support services and increases health risks.

The organisations also warn that recent public debates about the Bahnhofsviertel have often reduced complex social challenges to visible drug use. This not only reinforces stigma against people who use drugs but also makes the work of frontline social workers more difficult. Every day, outreach teams help prevent overdoses, connect people to medical care, and provide access to long-term support and treatment.

On the occasion of the Commemoration Day, the organisations call on policymakers, the media, and the wider public to strengthen low-threshold services and ensure that future changes are guided by the needs of those most affected. People who use drugs need safe places to stay, access to support rather than exclusion, and a public debate rooted in evidence, dignity, and humanity.

Times:
13:00: Rally at Jürgen Ponton Platz
14:00: Memorial march to the memorial plaque
11:00 – 17:00: Information and “memorial table” for clients on Niddastraße