Over a century's worth of heroin's potency surpassed by an alternative substance

San Francisco, once known for its vibrant culture and scenic beauty, is now grappling with a visible public health crisis - the surge of Fentanyl in its streets. The crisis has taken a heavy toll on the city, with nearly two-thirds of the over 3,700 drug deaths in San Francisco over the past five years attributed to Fentanyl.

The Trump administration is focusing its efforts on going after "sanctuary cities" and cutting crucial funding that municipalities need in the fight against Fentanyl. One of these cities is San Francisco, where the drugs are reportedly intended for. The city's Supervisor Matt Dorsey believes that the city's liberal drug policy has fueled the fentanyl crisis.

In an effort to combat the crisis, Supervisor Dorsey proposed an amendment to the sanctuary ordinance for undocumented migrants, which would strip anyone dealing Fentanyl of the protection of this "sanctuary city." However, the amendment did not receive support.

The situation in San Francisco has shown signs of improvement, but there is still activity at night, according to Supervisor Dorsey. The police in San Francisco are now arresting and convicting drug dealers under the new mayor Daniel Lurie. One notable figure in the fight against the drug problem is Jacqui Berlinn, who serves as a point of contact for mothers looking for their children. Berlinn's son was taken to a detox clinic by the street workers, a change from their previous approach.

Another key figure is Gina McDonald, also with Mothers Against Drug Deaths. McDonald, who once struggled with drug addiction herself, rescued her 24-year-old daughter from the Tenderloin neighborhood, the epicenter of the drug scene in San Francisco. McDonald's daughter has been clean for three and a half years and moved out of San Francisco, studying now.

The Tenderloin neighborhood has seen a significant amount of Fentanyl seizures. In 2022 alone, 65.37 kilos of fentanyl were seized in this area. This is a stark reminder of the scale of the problem the city is facing. The cost to produce one kilo of fentanyl is $32,000, from which about a million tablets can be produced with a market value of $20 million.

The fight against Fentanyl is not just a local issue. Supervisor Dorsey hopes for cooperation between local, state, and federal authorities, including the Trump administration, in the fight against Fentanyl. This cooperation is crucial, as the drugs seized in San Francisco are not just destined for the city, but for the wider region and even the nation.

In a positive development, the death toll from overdoses in the US is decreasing. There were 80,391 deaths in 2022 compared to 110,037 in 2023. This is a small step forward in the battle against Fentanyl, but the fight is far from over.

As the battle against Fentanyl continues, the efforts of individuals like Supervisor Dorsey, Jacqui Berlinn, Gina McDonald, and many others are crucial. Their work, along with the cooperation of authorities at all levels, offers hope for a future where the streets of San Francisco are no longer plagued by the deadly effects of Fentanyl.

Over a century's worth of heroin's potency surpassed by an alternative substance