San Francisco Is a Drug Tourist Destination, New Report Shows

Almost half of those cited for drug offenses in San Francisco’s open-air drug market were from out of town, police data show in a new report. “These numbers serve as proof that we must continue doubling down our efforts to shut down our drug markets that are attracting people to come here,” Mayor London Breed said in a Feb. 29 press release. The finding comes as the city has beefed up efforts to stop open-air drug markets in its Tenderloin and South of Market areas, which officials say are harming neighborhoods and driving up overdoses, especially of fentanyl. Between March 2023 and early February, police data show 718 people were cited for drug use in the city with only 53 percent being residents. Of those cited, 20 percent were receiving state-funded cash benefits—up to $712 a month for low-income residents through California’s general assistance program. And of the 141 residents receiving the assistance, nearly 50 of them were from out of town but had falsely given a San Francisco address, the press release said....