I am still quite shocked. I have never seen anyone consume hard drugs like was my experience today on the S8 going to Pfäffikon SZ at 11am.
A couple, slightly scruffy, slightly loud, actually took out what afterwards I realised were "tabs". Anyway, as I didn't want to stare, I didn't see what they did to these tabs, but then he takes out a band/credit/GA card and breaks it up and puts it into a line and they both then continue to consume said "stuff", sniffed it and continued to prepare the next line...

OMFG!! No hiding anything, just without any cares in the world. I was bloody apalled! A kid was sitting with his Dad just behind me. Talk about lack of respect, lack of any kind of decorum. I then looked over, my shock probably written on my face. He started to talk loudly and wanted to make some degenerate comment to me but his girlfriend stopped him.

I got off the train and called the police. They were only interested if the train was going in the direction of Zurich itself, that it had left the canton was then of little interest to them it seemed. Oh well, at least my call would be added to the statistics.

I cannot imagine that was the last of their "lines" for the day and they would probably have done the same thing in front of impressionable children/youths.

I am still disgusted. Now I wonder what traces of drugs are in my handbag, from laying down my magazine/sandwich/drinks/bags in the past and have taken the remnants of somones koks off the little tables.

Would be interesting to hear of anyone else's experience in Switzerland of this sort of thing in broad daylight.

yes all the time, have seen many people drinking and smoking in public places in front of children, terrible

We've done this theme before I feel...

Wanted to groan at that comment actually. I was going to request that the smoking and drinking comments refrain.

I was referring to hard drugs actually, thanks anyway...

are you bitter cause they didn't share?

Better throw all your cash out of your purse!!!!

There is a ridiculous statistic about notes and the number with traces of cocaine over it.

Get over it. It wasn't too long ago you could have witnessed people shooting up Heroin in central Zurich.

I can understand the shock to some people seeing someone using hard drugs but seriously more youngsters are impressionable towards smoking and drinking than drugs and yet drinking and smoking in plain public view of impressionable kids does not cause an outcry? strange world we live in

Edit:Sorry Gwendy was not really meaning to ridicule your comments but it does genuinely surprise me that there is outcry about hard drugs which are used a fraction of what soft drugs like tobacco and alcohol are amongst the young

Bitter? Wrong word, for sure. Disappointed that they didn't invite me to join them getting wasted, that must have been it.

Seems not many are shocked anymore out there. I must have had a very sheltered upbringing and have stayed away from hard drugs since, so it seems I am all out on my own on this...

Could it have been "snuff" or whatever that stuff is called that I think is tobacco?

What are "tabs"?

If thine eye offend thee, Gwendy . . .

I understand your point is about impressionable youth, but I don't think the sight of someone doing whatever makes that big an impact.

No, I think it was koks... presumably.. and tabs are those little white square bits of whatever they are - have never had them in my hand, but am sure to have read about them and seen on TV. Also, the usual sneezing session with snuff didn't happen either

You're not alone.. I'm with you on this one. I would be shocked too.

Umm, you still can, unless something has changed since last night. There are also certain street corners where people will offer to sell you certain substances without even attepting to be subtle about it.

... what? Pluck it out? I knew I should always pack my sunglasses, even on rainy days...

It's a sad reality that the illegal drugs scene isn't a private, underground thing any longer. I don't believe that this situation is unique to Switzerland, it's just that it rather clashes with our rose-tinted views of this country.

I don't want to necessarily counter with a "worse than that" claim, but I still have this mental picture of a young pregnant woman injecting into her left arm outside of Coop in Winterthur a couple of summers ago whilst holding a baby in her right arm. That image still pains me, but what are you meant to do "can I hold your kid whilst you take your heroin hit in comfort Miss?".

Drugs are a demon. I pity those that have traded their lives for the highs that substance abuse gives. I can't speak with experience about using, I just know 2 people who died after using hard drugs and several others who regularly use cocaine. A relation of mine works with addicts on a methadone project, the stories she tells would make hardened men cry, you would not believe what primitive lengths addicts go to to get their fix.

Society has a problem. I don't know what the solution is. Until the market prices fall and there isn't a profit for the dealers and producers to harvest, nothing will change. Educate your kids and keep them on the straight and level, it starts with smoking and marijuana use with their friends.

If by 'not too long ago' you meant three or so months, then I would concur. Was a bit shocked myself when I was running along the Limmat earlier this year and happened upon a guy getting ready to shoot up. I was mostly unnerved b/c I didn't want to get stuck w/ the needle on my way past....

@Gwendy: Did you get the impression that the couple looked very 'cool'? Sounds like they were probably fairly seedy looking. I doubt many kids would, for instance, want to follow the example of the stinky, shaky guys drinking budget lager on the tram at 9am... or the countless actively high or jonesing people that ride the 11/14 trams every day to beckenhof...

There's a reason why the park behind the Landesmuseum (next to Zurich main station) was called Needle Park until 1992 After the park was forcibly closed, the drug addicts moved to the Letten (where everybody now likes to go swimming.....). That was closed in 1995.

A line of [bad] coke is the same price as a kebab. That's why the kids are all on [bad] coke. It must be true: I read it in 20 Minuten.

I just assumed that was where I was to go to administer my insulin shots.

It is terrible how destructive some of these drugs can be. It also important that we put alcohol and tobacco into this group of substances that are addictive and destructive.

Nothing will change until the use of these substances is decriminalized, legalised and controlled.


This is an age old fallacy. The old weed is the gateway drug is a load of horse shit. We learn from society and if anything leads to a desire for inebriation or stimulation I think you could look to our addiction to sugar, caffeine, coffee, tv, tobacco and alcohol first.