The 52 year old is accused of giving drugs to participants in a natural healing convention in the town of Handeloh, which was attended by doctors and psychologists, as well as homeopaths and ‘natural healers’.
27 people had to be treated in hospital after they were found lying on the grass outside the convention. The intoxicated participants complained of suffering from hallucinations, cramps, difficulty in breathing and rapid heartbeat and all 27 were brought to hospital.
Prosecutors allege that the drugs were distributed as part of a seminar on a highly contentious form of treatment called psycholysis, advocates for which claim it provides a widening of consciousness.
It is not clear whether the attendees were aware of what exactly they were consuming.
Unsurprisingly, German health insurance firms do not cover the costs for patients who received 'treatment’ via psycholysis. In 2009 two people who attended a psycholysis meeting died.
The defendant is charged with drug possession and supplying of banned substances.