SAN FRANCISCO (NewsNation) — A proposal to withhold cash from those suffering from addiction in San Francisco is stirring up controversy.
Many of San Francisco’s neighborhoods have become dystopian, some citing the open-air drug market as a major contributor.
In response, Mayor London Breed announced a plan to get the fentanyl epidemic under control, which includes cutting off county cash to drug users.
Breed’s new proposal would require those suffering from drug addiction to be screened and treated before they can receive any cash assistance from the city.
“Every day, the San Francisco Police Department is making drug sales arrests and getting fatal drugs off of our streets. This is about holding people accountable for the harm they are causing when they refuse help and continue to deal or use in public,” Breed posted to social media.
It’s a tough-love approach, as San Francisco is set to exceed its current record number of overdose deaths this year.
“We see so many more people dying. Dying. Not just going through a situation and getting better. They’re dying on our streets of San Francisco,” Breed said.
Officials with the assistance program explained that this proposal will only impact single adults ages 18 to 65 with no dependents.
Right now, 5,200 people are a part of this program, receiving anywhere from $100 to $700 in cash assistance each month.
Many of these people have admitted to having substance abuse disorders but have not sought the help they need to get sober.
“No more ‘anything goes’ without accountability, no more handouts without accountability,” Breed said.
This approach follows similar measures in other blue cities including New York City and Portland. But San Francisco progressives, including the city’s board of supervisors, are skeptical about the measure. They say it overly criminalizes those who are already fighting the tough battle of addiction.
“The war on drugs, punishing poor people for being poor, punishing sick people for being sick are the methods we have used for decades in this country. If they would have worked, they would have worked by now,” Hillary Ronen on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors said.
Breed said she believes this proposal will finally move the people of San Francisco toward treatment and ultimately save lives.
“We can’t say we want to see change and not be willing to make the hard decisions to get there,” Breed said.
If this proposal were to pass the city’s board of supervisors, it would only impact this one general assistance program. Those who do not comply with the testing or treatment will not lose their housing, just the cash assistance.