Can San Francisco Solve Its Drug Crisis? Five Things to Consider.

the comparison to portugal's approach helped identify an issue with solutions deployed in the united states.

though, supplanting solutions always has unintended consequences and comes with a large set of assumptions that may not apply.

with city, state and national laws continually at odds due to cultural wars, funding issues and more, the battle likely will continue on for some time...

San Francisco is facing a severe drug crisis, with overdose deaths reaching record highs. The article compares San Francisco's approach to the issue with that of Portugal, which decriminalized all drugs in 2000. While San Francisco has adopted some aspects of Portugal's decriminalization and harm reduction strategies, it has struggled to achieve similar success. The piece explores five key areas where policy differences contribute to this disparity, including decriminalization, addiction treatment, harm reduction, personal attitudes toward drugs, and the need for a comprehensive strategy.