twato
Bluelighter
This thread has been a very interesting read, so I thought I'd add a little bit about my hometown, Berlin.
Generally, drug policies and enforcement for lighter drugs are very relaxed, you'll be let go with a warning if caught with up to 10g cannabis. Unfortunately, weed is about the only drug considered to be light, even mushrooms count as hard drugs here.
The street scene is quite varied and concentrates on the harder stuff, heroin, (bad) coke, (also bad) speed, benzos, methadone, subutex and hash are all easily available at the right subway stations, where most of the business goes down. This is a good modus operandi in my opinion, as the alcoholics crowd provides some cover for shady transactions, and you're always safer in a public place.
Speaking of safety, thanks to Germany's strict weapons laws, nearly noone carries guns or knives, not even the dealers who do get robbed on occasion. It's universally agreed that if you get caught with hard stuff, it's better to not get an extra charge for weapon possession. So, scoring on the street is quite safe apart from the usual stealing and scamming that comes with prohibition.
The downside of this is that the police naturally know of these meeting spots as well, making it a real hassle to score on days they decide to have a crackdown - nonstop pig presence at the usual spots, so you better have some backups or take care of your business very early in the morning. Come to speak of it, a dealer I know somewhat starts selling his brown at 6 AM and closes business at 10, he says he makes more than enough that way and doesn't get into conflict with LE. Good guy, that one, always reliable and very decent brown, if a tad more expensive than others.
Weed is actually harder to get than heroin, I surmise it's because of the bulk and smell involved, and you mostly buy from private persons who keep to themselves. As in most other European countries, a lot of the weed sold here is homegrown, so while you can expect very good quality, this also reflects on the price, which is quite steep when compared to street hash (which is mostly quite good as well).
Psychedelics are never sold openly, you have to know the right person to buy them from. Your best bet would be one of the many clubs or festivals, but I'm not a big fan of both, so my experiences are sadly lacking a lot when it comes to mind expanding chems. Luckily, many weed growers also cultivate shrooms on the side, so a bit of asking around usually gets you what you want.
OTC products are somewhat lacking, as codeine is banned in every form, so the only things worth mentioning are loperamide, diphenhydramine and DXM. The latter however is available as pure dextromethorphan 30mg capsules, so we don't have to deal with any nasty syrups or unwanted ingredients, which is somewhat unique as far as I know.
The RC scene is practically non-existant, especially when compared to the UK. Some people order their chems from British vendors, but it's never taken off here like in other countries, I guess we're sticklers to tradition when it comes to drugs. The JWHs and analogues were banned quite swiftly, and I expect that to happen with all RCs that catch a whiff of media attention.
Regarding the medical side of things, it's virtually impossible to get a prescription for opiods, although benzos are difficult, but not that hard to get. On the harm reduction side, there are a number of needle exchanges and safe injection rooms, and public opinion seems to finally lose the typical junkie image, supporting even test runs of diamorphine maintainance for extreme cases, and viewing the whole issue as a medical rather than a criminal one. But there still remains a lot of work to be done, and other parts of Germany are FAR less advanced in their drug policies. Bavaria for example is our equivalent to Texas in this regard, don't ever get caught down there with any amount, not even stems. They'll fuck you over proper.
But coming back to Berlin, it's one of my favourite cities in the world (being born here, I'm completely unbiased of course), and certainly worth a visit, not only for its scene, but also because of its history and culture.
As soon as I become a bluelighter, feel free to shoot me a PM, I'll gladly answer any questions to the best of my knowledge, without breaking any BL TOU of course.
Generally, drug policies and enforcement for lighter drugs are very relaxed, you'll be let go with a warning if caught with up to 10g cannabis. Unfortunately, weed is about the only drug considered to be light, even mushrooms count as hard drugs here.
The street scene is quite varied and concentrates on the harder stuff, heroin, (bad) coke, (also bad) speed, benzos, methadone, subutex and hash are all easily available at the right subway stations, where most of the business goes down. This is a good modus operandi in my opinion, as the alcoholics crowd provides some cover for shady transactions, and you're always safer in a public place.
Speaking of safety, thanks to Germany's strict weapons laws, nearly noone carries guns or knives, not even the dealers who do get robbed on occasion. It's universally agreed that if you get caught with hard stuff, it's better to not get an extra charge for weapon possession. So, scoring on the street is quite safe apart from the usual stealing and scamming that comes with prohibition.
The downside of this is that the police naturally know of these meeting spots as well, making it a real hassle to score on days they decide to have a crackdown - nonstop pig presence at the usual spots, so you better have some backups or take care of your business very early in the morning. Come to speak of it, a dealer I know somewhat starts selling his brown at 6 AM and closes business at 10, he says he makes more than enough that way and doesn't get into conflict with LE. Good guy, that one, always reliable and very decent brown, if a tad more expensive than others.
Weed is actually harder to get than heroin, I surmise it's because of the bulk and smell involved, and you mostly buy from private persons who keep to themselves. As in most other European countries, a lot of the weed sold here is homegrown, so while you can expect very good quality, this also reflects on the price, which is quite steep when compared to street hash (which is mostly quite good as well).
Psychedelics are never sold openly, you have to know the right person to buy them from. Your best bet would be one of the many clubs or festivals, but I'm not a big fan of both, so my experiences are sadly lacking a lot when it comes to mind expanding chems. Luckily, many weed growers also cultivate shrooms on the side, so a bit of asking around usually gets you what you want.
OTC products are somewhat lacking, as codeine is banned in every form, so the only things worth mentioning are loperamide, diphenhydramine and DXM. The latter however is available as pure dextromethorphan 30mg capsules, so we don't have to deal with any nasty syrups or unwanted ingredients, which is somewhat unique as far as I know.
The RC scene is practically non-existant, especially when compared to the UK. Some people order their chems from British vendors, but it's never taken off here like in other countries, I guess we're sticklers to tradition when it comes to drugs. The JWHs and analogues were banned quite swiftly, and I expect that to happen with all RCs that catch a whiff of media attention.
Regarding the medical side of things, it's virtually impossible to get a prescription for opiods, although benzos are difficult, but not that hard to get. On the harm reduction side, there are a number of needle exchanges and safe injection rooms, and public opinion seems to finally lose the typical junkie image, supporting even test runs of diamorphine maintainance for extreme cases, and viewing the whole issue as a medical rather than a criminal one. But there still remains a lot of work to be done, and other parts of Germany are FAR less advanced in their drug policies. Bavaria for example is our equivalent to Texas in this regard, don't ever get caught down there with any amount, not even stems. They'll fuck you over proper.
But coming back to Berlin, it's one of my favourite cities in the world (being born here, I'm completely unbiased of course), and certainly worth a visit, not only for its scene, but also because of its history and culture.
As soon as I become a bluelighter, feel free to shoot me a PM, I'll gladly answer any questions to the best of my knowledge, without breaking any BL TOU of course.
)