"San Francisco's Ongoing Battle with Drug Overdoses: A Timeline and Five Considerations"
San Francisco is grappling with a severe drug crisis, with record-high overdose deaths and widespread public drug use. The city's overdose death rate has more than doubled the national average, partly due to the rise of fentanyl and policy changes such as Prop 47, which reduced drug possession to a misdemeanor. While some advocate for emulating Portugal's successful decriminalization approach, liberal cities like San Francisco have struggled to replicate its results, highlighting the challenges in addressing the city's drug crisis.
