The opioid crisis wrecked San Francisco, leading to a possible economic collapse.
San Francisco’s Opioid Crisis: A Growing Threat to the City
San Francisco has experienced a troubling surge in drug use and addiction in recent years, wreaking havoc on the city’s economy and causing significant damage to businesses, the housing market, and public safety.
With overdose deaths in San Francisco reaching alarming levels this year, the city is on track to record the highest number of accidental overdose deaths in its history.
Deadliest Year Yet
Despite a 32% decrease in fatalities in June compared to May, data from the Medical Examiner’s Office suggests that 2023 will be the deadliest year yet. From January to June, over 400 people have died from accidental overdoses, marking a 40% increase compared to the same period last year.
The primary driver of this epidemic is the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is being seized at unprecedented levels in the city’s open-air drug markets. The San Francisco Police Department has confiscated enough fentanyl to result in 30 million lethal doses during the first two quarters of 2023. The Tenderloin Police Station, located in an area plagued by drug use and dealing, reported the seizure of nearly 70 kilos of fentanyl.
San Francisco’s Struggle to Contain the Crisis
San Francisco’s leaders have long grappled with the opioid crisis, with the lack of comprehensive treatment options being a major obstacle. While the city has received federal assistance and utilized state resources to combat the epidemic, negative impacts on San Francisco’s operations persist.
The Devastating Economic Impact
The opioid epidemic extends beyond San Francisco, affecting the entire United States through workforce shortages and reduced employment productivity.
Research from the American Action Forum reveals that opioids were responsible for approximately 20% of the 6.3 million workers absent from the US labor force in late 2022.
A study analyzing data before and after the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order in March 2020 found a 50% increase in weekly median overdose deaths in San Francisco.
In addition to layoffs in the tech industry, which is a major sector in the Bay Area, there has been a significant exodus of employees from downtown San Francisco since 2020. Data from the Budget and Legislative Analyst indicates that there are nearly 150,000 fewer office workers in the city compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The Declining Housing Market
The combination of remote work, rising homelessness, and drug-related issues has contributed to the decline of San Francisco’s housing market.
According to S&P Dow Jones, the sale prices of existing homes in the city have dropped by approximately 11% since May 2018. San Francisco is experiencing a faster decline in home prices compared to any other city in the nation.
Zillow data reveals that San Francisco home prices increased from around $900,000 in January 2020 to $1.2 million in May 2022.
Efforts by Lawmakers
Earlier this year, Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to San Francisco to disrupt fentanyl trafficking, receiving support from Mayor London Breed.
Mayor Breed has launched a multi-agency operation targeting drugs in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods. She has also pledged to allocate additional funds in the city’s budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 to address the crisis.
A resolution led by Mayor Breed and a coalition of bipartisan mayors urged the Biden administration to classify all illicitly created fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, indicating their high potential for abuse and lack of FDA-approved medical use.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the approval of Operation Overdrive for San Francisco, an initiative that aims to dismantle criminal drug networks operating in areas with high rates of violence and drug poisoning deaths.
Treatment and Rehabilitation Services
Despite spending millions of dollars to combat the drug crisis, San Francisco has long faced a severe shortage of treatment beds. To address this, leaders have proposed a controversial tactic of requiring individuals arrested for drug use or possession to attend a specialized court offering treatment services.
Under this new approach, those facing a second drug use or possession arrest will be sent to ‘drug court,’ where they can access job training programs, mental health resources, and rehabilitation options.
Law enforcement officers have been deployed to drug-fueled areas to make more arrests and provide treatment services. San Francisco’s District Attorney Brooke Jenkins oversees this program, which began enforcement in July.
“Enforcement as a mechanism to get people into treatment is new for us and will take time to catch on, but we are committed to doing our part to help address the crisis we are seeing on our streets,” said District Attorney Jenkins.
Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner.
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