Esch-sur-Alzette, home to fewer than 40,000 people in Luxembourg’s south, reached a significant milestone in 2019 as the second city in the country to establish a drug consumption room. Contact Esch was based upon educational, medical, and social pillars, garnering strong support and success. The DCR’s effectiveness stemmed from robust political backing for harm reduction, effective collaboration among policymakers, NGOs, and local leaders, and the Ministry of Health’s objective to decentralise treatment and harm reduction services across Luxembourg. The Jugend-an-Drogenhëllef Foundation (JDF), the organisation behind Contact Esch, prioritised community involvement, fostering positive relations between locals and the initiative. Esch-sur-Alzette’s success in implementing a DCR, marked by minimal opposition and notable community support, can help to inspire other small-scale cities to implement DCRs, within and beyond Luxembourg.

Following a new format, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network’s Civil Society-led Monitoring of Harm Reduction in Europe 2023 Data Report is launched in 6 volumes: Hepatitis C Care, Essential Harm Reduction Services, New Drug Trends, Mental Health of Harm Reduction Staff, TEDI Reports and City Reports (Warsaw, Bălţi, Esch-sur-Alzette, London, Amsterdam). The Executive Summary can be accessed here.