Commemoration Day, 21 July: Leipzig honours the memory of deceased drug users with a service and an exhibition

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With a prayer service, a panel discussion and an exhibition at the New Town Hall, Leipzig is commemorating, today, 21 July, those who have died as a result of their drug addiction. Since 1998, the National Day of Remembrance for Deceased Drug Addicts has drawn attention to individual stories and highlighted that behind every statistic there is a person with a life story. According to the State Criminal Police Office, there were ten drug-related deaths in Leipzig last year. This is slightly fewer than in 2024. However, this is no reason to let our guard down.

This is because 2024 saw a new record high in the number of drug-related deaths in Leipzig. In 2024, 19 drug-related deaths were recorded across the entire area covered by the Leipzig Police Headquarters, as detailed in the City of Leipzig’s 2024 Substance Abuse Report.

“In the independent city of Leipzig, 17 people died. The most common cause of drug-related deaths in 2024 was the consumption of crystal meth, either on its own or in combination with other substances. The age range was between 20 and 50 years. Those affected were people who often consumed not only various illicit drugs but also legal medicines or alcohol.”

Five drug-related deaths were recorded in Leipzig in 2023.

3.00 pm at Elsapark

This year’s Day of Remembrance in Leipzig is being organised by several organisations and projects working in the fields of addiction support and youth welfare. Three interlinked events bring together different social perspectives: the programme begins at 3 pm with a memorial service at the memorial stone in Elsapark (between Lutherstraße and Elsastraße). Following the prayer service and the memorial programme, visitors and guests can sit together and engage in conversation. Staff from drug and youth support services will provide information on the services available and how they can offer advice and support.

From 6.30 pm, a panel discussion at the Pöge-Haus on the topic ‘Between help and exclusion: how stigmatisation affects drug users in everyday life’ offers an opportunity to hear different perspectives from practitioners as well as the views of those directly affected, and to engage in dialogue.

Also on 21 July, an exhibition by the drug policy initiative #KonsumRaumGeben from Halle (on the Saale) will open in the Lower Lobby of the New Town Hall. Under the title ‘You’ve finished work, I’m struggling with addiction”, large-format works will be on display that bring the experiences of drug users to light. At the same time, the works shed light on the history of drug policy and its social consequences. The exhibition will then be on display until 30 July during regular opening hours at the New Town Hall; admission is free.

The day of remembrance aims to create a shared space for everyone who has lost a loved one to addiction or the associated realities of life. All members of the public are therefore warmly invited – people who use drugs, as well as relatives and friends, social workers and other professionals or support workers.