Berlin’s Special Relationship to Drugs
photo: Ricardo Mancía
People do drugs in Berlin, and not just a few to be honest. Drugs, drugs, drugs… I could easily dive into the discourse now, stressing the risks, debating labels like legal and illegal. And, paint dreadful pictures of needles, white powder, pills… But, let’s just focus on the fact that people DO it, and not just in nightclubs since the early 80’s, people have been using substances to change their state of mind since the beginning of time. Even if it’s just these four glasses of wine on a Friday night or that good old nicotine shock, still, we’re using a drug.
People could just sit together and have a cup of tea, right? But, they don’t. Where human logic comes to a sudden end, there must be some ‘higher’ need. But, why is it that people in Berlin appear to desire this change of mindset so much, more than in other cities? When people come staggering my way out of overcrowded bars at Oranienstraße, when I take in the scent of burning rolled-up leaves, walking past Görlitzerpark, and staring eyes with big, round pupils pass by at Ostbahnhof, I can’t help but ask myself: If you all need to alter your consciousness in Berlin, is there something wrong with Berlin?