San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declared a public health state of emergency in the city’s Tenderloin District, amid a surge of overdose deaths, illicit drug dealing, and homelessness. The mayor said the move would allow the city to quickly implement emergency services, including drug treatment centers and harm reduction measures, adding that drug users would be offered a stark choice: face arrest or enter treatment. Overdose deaths have been surging in San Francisco—as they have across the country—and twice as many people died of an overdose last year than from coronavirus. The Tenderloin has been ground zero for drug dealing, overdoses, and homeless for years, with people now openly peddling fentanyl and methamphetamines, the mayor said. Finally, the government is taking action.
Meanwhile, opioid litigation involving Purdue Pharma has taken a new turn, with a federal judge ruling that a $4.5 billion settlement reached between the OxyContin-maker and the states is invalid because it shields the firm’s founding Sackler family from future liabilities. This has been a sticking point since the deal was reached, and could now scuttle the settlement altogether. Critics say the family should pay more for its role in fueling the opioid crisis, while the majority of states suing Purdue are ready to accept the settlement instead of pursuing a trial that could take years, at a time when overdose deaths are at record levels. Purdue is appealing the ruling; yet even if the settlement goes ahead, payouts would only take place piecemeal over the next decade. That’s why the federal government must step in now and allocate massive funding for drug prevention and treatment.
And finally, as the deadline nears in New York State for more than 1,500 municipalities to decide whether to allow cannabis businesses, the tally so far shows that some 400 localities have already said “no” to pot. Under the state’s marijuana legalization law, they must decide if they want to sanction both marijuana dispensaries and on-site consumption lounges within their jurisdictions, or by taking no action, passively accept them. Some towns and villages are taking a wait-and-see approach until they know more about the state’s plans for regulation and control of the drug, as municipalities can change their decisions at a later date. But the relatively large number of localities that are opting out reflects concerns about the impact of pot on young people and drugged driving. In neighboring New Jersey, which is also implementing cannabis reform, more than 70 percent of municipalities have rejected marijuana enterprises, similar to many legal states including California, Oregon, Colorado, and Michigan.