In a significant policy shift, San Francisco Mayor London Breed has publicly criticized the city's harm reduction strategy for dealing with drug addiction, particularly in relation to the opioid epidemic and fentanyl crisis, stating "It is making things worse. I will not apologize for the stances I have taken that are controversial." This stance was highlighted during the "March to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths" where Breed expressed that harm reduction is worsening the situation. Concurrently, California lawmakers, including S.F. Assembly Member Matt Haney, are pushing for legislation to mandate routine testing of wastewater for drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine statewide, an initiative San Francisco and Marin are already experimenting with. This move aims to better understand drug flow into communities and reduce overdose deaths, with the proposed legislation making California the first state to implement such testing at wastewater treatment plants. This initiative comes as some California district attorneys begin to combat fentanyl distribution with murder charges, a method San Francisco is considering joining. The efforts reflect a growing concern over the fentanyl crisis, highlighted by the grim statistic of 3,000 Americans dead from fentanyl, surpassing those from COVID during the entire pandemic in some areas.
At Monday's “March to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths," SF's mayor offered her strongest rebuke yet of harm reduction, a strategy used to combat addiction: "It is making things worse. I will not apologize for the stances I have taken that are controversial." https://t.co/HVdMZhrPMz
Dozens of people from a coalition of groups marched to San Francisco City Hall Monday, calling for a change in the way the city deals with the opioid epidemic. https://t.co/00DppeYQbT
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: London Breed is the first West Coast Mayor to come out publicly and say "harm reduction" is not working. This could have major implications across the nation and in places like Seattle/King County where drug overdose deaths hit an all time high last year. https://t.co/1DeRPK6vaV
The mayor of San Francisco which is the birthplace of "harm reduction," said: "Harm reduction from my perspective is not reducing the harm." Finally. The truth. Thank you, @LondonBreed. https://t.co/jX4oFo4mOs
London Breed, Gavin Newsom, Joe Biden... A trifecta of incompetence and corruption... The architects of our collective suffering. Let's closely examine the aftermath they've left in their wake. In San Francisco, London Breed reigns supreme, overseeing a dystopian nightmare of…
Some California district attorneys in politically purple and red counties are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Here's why ultraliberal San Francisco will join them. https://t.co/g8t7HmjMu0 by @hannahcwiley
Listen up, community organizers! We need to have a serious conversation about who we're letting into our events and spaces. London Breed might be the mayor of San Francisco, but that doesn't mean she's welcome at our rallies or protests. In fact, she's part of the problem, not…
Gather around, folks, We're gonna have a real talk about London Breed and the mess she's made of our city, San Francisco, The Paris Of The West. Picture this: 3,000 Americans, from all walks of life, all colors, creeds and religions, dead from fentanyl devil right here in San…
"Harm reduction from my perspective is not reducing the harm." Good on @LondonBreed for finally calling out a status quo that's clearly not working. It still gets me that more people died of overdoses last year than died from COVID during the entire pandemic. https://t.co/nbIhXbj1eH
We are marching to stop Fentanyl in San Francisco today. Shut down the open drug markets and bring recovery to the people! https://t.co/MsWxYfGqoK
Some California DAs are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Why San Francisco will join them. https://t.co/snsOeLvjHX https://t.co/i4hJF48nwV
If proposed legislation from S.F. Assembly Member Matt Haney is successful, California could become the first state to mandate routine testing of wastewater treatment plants statewide for fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs. https://t.co/yfUMJhCBWv
There is a new push by #California lawmakers to track sewage water for traces of drugs including Fentanyl. It's part of an effort to understand drugs flowing into a community and reduce overdoses. San Francisco and Marin are already experimenting with the strategy .
A new bill from S.F. Assembly Member Matt Haney would make California the first U.S. state to mandate routine testing of wastewater for fentanyl and other drugs. https://t.co/dWHwhe0hFB
Some California D.A.s are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Why San Francisco will join them https://t.co/OQmCvLbM9W