Will San Francisco’s New Drug Treatment Mandate for Welfare Recipients Help City Recover?

Voters in San Francisco approved a measure March 5 requiring some welfare recipients to take drug tests and enter treatment to receive cash payments, but some are wondering if the new law will be effective at curbing overdose deaths and addiction issues. More than 58 percent of voters favored Proposition F—a measure introduced by Mayor London Breed—which orders single adults under the age of 65 with no dependents and who receive assistance from San Francisco’s County Adult Assistance Program to submit to drug screening if evaluators believe they could be suffering from substance abuse disorders. Some believe such is needed to address the record 806 overdose deaths recorded in the city in 2023—a nearly 25 percent jump from the year before. According to the coroner’s office, fentanyl was responsible for more than half of last year’s incidents....