<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California&#8217;s</a> new court-ordered treatment program goes into effect next week, a significant attempt by the state to get a handle on California&#8217;s addiction, mental illness, and homelessness crises.
The Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act program <a href="https://www.chhs.ca.gov/care-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allows</a> families of adults suffering from a serious untreated psychotic disorder to file a petition in civil court for court-ordered voluntary treatment. Clinicians, first responders, and others can also file a petition.
If the petition is approved, a judge can order a year-long care plan, which can be renewed for a second year. The person will be connected with a treatment team, as well as a housing plan.
&#8220;Although homelessness has many faces in California, among the most tragic is the face of the sickest who suffer from treatable mental health conditions,&#8221; the California Health and Human Services Agency <a href="https://www.chhs.ca.gov/care-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> on its website.
The program targets the most severely mentally ill among California&#8217;s vast homeless population, many of whom also have substance abuse issues. It <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/californias-care-court-program-tackle-mental-illness-starts/story?id=103461370#:~:text=Under%20CARE%20%2D%2D%20which%20stands,psychotic%20disorder%2C%20such%20as%20schizophrenia." target="_blank" rel="noopener">does not apply</a> to mental illnesses like anxiety disorders, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Also, the court can order medication, but program participants cannot be forced to take it.
California has about 170,000 homeless people, the biggest homeless population in the country, according to a <a href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> last year from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nearly a third of the country’s homeless people live in California, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2023/06/20/california-accounts-for-nearly-one-third-of-the-nations-homeless-people/70340309007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a June statewide study from a research group at the University of California, San Francisco.
Some California cities have particularly dire homeless problems and have struggled to find long-term solutions to curb the problem.
San Francisco has been in the throes of a homelessness crisis for years now, and it has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019.
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Last week, Sacramento’s top prosecutor sued the city over its homeless encampments, accusing city officials of allowing the homeless population to become a public nuisance.
Under the CARE court program, a petition for treatment must also include an affidavit from a licensed mental health professional saying they <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB1338" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least tried</a> to examine the person multiple times recently, or the petitioner must submit evidence the person was detained for at least two periods of intensive treatments.
Seven counties including San Francisco, San Diego, and Orange must launch pilot programs by October 1. The rest of California&#8217;s counties must launch their CARE Court programs by the end of next year.
Counties will receive state funding for the program, including for new housing units, treatment, and behavioral health services.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has touted the plan as a way to help homeless Californians get treatment instead of being incarcerated or involuntarily hospitalized.
“CARE Court means new hope for thousands of Californians with untreated mental health and substance abuse issues,” Newsom <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/12/01/governor-newsom-and-counties-begin-care-court-implementation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in December.
&#8220;While we watch other places in America move swiftly towards more involuntary hospitalization, in California, we’re doing it the right way – community based care, a focus on housing, and accountability for everyone involved,” the governor said.
The program takes effect on October 1.

US-HOMELESS-LOS-ANGELES

California’s Mental Illness, Homelessness Court Program Takes Effect Next Week

California's Mental Illness, Homelessness Court Program Takes Effect Next Week

California

Crime

Drugs

Homeless

Homelessness

U.S.

New York City hit a grim milestone last year, logging a record number of drug overdose deaths.
A total of 3,026 people died of a drug overdose in 2022, the highest number since the city started tracking deaths in 2000, according to city <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief137.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2023/commissioner-advisory-overdose-crisis-reaches-historic-levels.page#:~:text=Ashwin%20Vasan.,recognize%20the%20signs%20of%20overdose." target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> on Monday.
Last year&#8217;s overdose deaths are up 12% from the 2,696 deaths the city experienced in 2021. The rate jumped to more than 43 overdose deaths per 100,000 city dwellers.
Black New Yorkers had the highest overdose death rate at 62 deaths per 100,000 residents and the biggest rate increase from 2021 to 2022. Out of the five boroughs, the Bronx had the highest overdose death rate last year, with about 74 deaths per 100,000 residents, a jump over the previous year. Staten Island had the second-highest rate.
Middle-aged adults from 55 to 64 had the highest overdose rate of any age group.
Fentanyl is one of the main culprits. The synthetic opioid has been flooding into the U.S. illegal drug market in recent years, <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">primarily</a> from Mexico and China, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine and is deadly in doses as small as 10 grains of salt.
Fentanyl was present in 81% of overdose deaths in New York City last year. More than half of the deaths also involved cocaine.
Besides the ongoing scourge of fentanyl, a new drug is also causing headaches for New York.
Xylazine, or “tranq” as it is known on the streets, is a cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer mass-manufactured in China that has recently <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/zombie-drug-tranq-leaves-illegal-narcotics-more-potent-while-making-it-even-harder-for-opioid-addicts-to-quit-doctors-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proliferated</a> on the streets of New York, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. The “zombie drug” causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on “tranq” since xylazine is not an opioid.
New York City has been struggling with a drug overdose crisis for the better part of a decade now.
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Overdose deaths in the city remained at less than 1,000 until 2016, when they <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief137.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spiked</a> to more than 1,400. When the pandemic hit in 2020, deaths spiked again, topping 2,100 fatal overdoses.
The overdose death crisis is killing a person in New York City every three hours, Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said.
Vasan urged all New Yorkers to carry naloxone, brand name Narcan, the opioid overdose-reversing medication. He also urged drug users not to take drugs alone and to seek treatment, saying, &#8220;We have a range of options and harm reduction is the foundation.&#8221;
New York City offers a slate of &#8220;harm reduction&#8221; services, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/basas/syringe-service.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> sites that provide drug users with clean syringes and supervision.
Also in June, the city <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-vending-machines-provide-free-crack-pipes-condoms-narcan-to-drug-users" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debuted</a> the first of four vending machines that provide free crack pipes, condoms, and Narcan, among other items. Drug addicts can access the items by providing their New York City zip code.
The city&#8217;s health commissioner also said, &#8220;Everyone should have a candid, judgement-free conversation at your kitchen table about drugs and their danger. We’re all in this together.&#8221;

Bronx Borough Faces Major Unemployment Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

New York City Saw Record Fatal Drug Overdoses Last Year

Fentanyl

General

New York

New York City

overdose

George Jones&#8217; widow, Nancy Jones, opened up about the late country star nearly losing his life during his lengthy battle with cocaine and alcohol addiction in her new memoir titled, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Playin-Possum-Memories-George-Jones-ebook/dp/B0C6KYSQ2W" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Playin&#8217; Possum: My Memories of George Jones</a>.&#8221;
Jones told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/george-jones-widow-admits-country-music-star-face-death-kick-crippling-cocaine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> why she wrote the book and talked about the near-fatal car accident the late country singer had in 1999 that she credited with helping him finally get sober after battling addictions for decades allowing him to live another 14 years before his death in 2013. He was 81.
&#8220;I just wanted the truth out there,&#8221; Nancy said. &#8220;It’s the truth of George Jones and my life with him… And I didn&#8217;t sugarcoat anything. He had a lot of demons and he fought them so hard, but they were winning … And God blessed him with another chance.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I am so grateful to Nancy Jones for welcoming me into her home the other day. She is such a strong woman, and inspiration to all. I&#39;ll be sharing my conversation with her &#8230; about life, love and George Jones &#8230; very soon! Stand by! <a href="https://t.co/1oZssLeiEo">pic.twitter.com/1oZssLeiEo</a>
&mdash; Lorrie Morgan (@TheLorrieMorgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLorrieMorgan/status/1655028668677201922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Jones said her husband suffered a ruptured liver, his legs were badly mangled, he had a punctured lung and blood in his chest after his car crashed head-on into a concrete bridge. She wrote in her book that police later confirmed they allegedly found an open container of vodka under the front seat of his car, the outlet noted.
&#8220;What made me stay? I saw a good man,&#8221; Jones told the outlet. &#8220;And George was not crazy. He was the most lovable, enjoyable, funny man – and then he was a whole different person. And I worked so hard to get that good man out of there, not this evil person that was in there. And if I would&#8217;ve left, George would&#8217;ve died many years ago.&#8221;
According to Nancy, after the star&#8217;s lengthy recovery he vowed to God, &#8220;If you let me get over this, I&#8217;ll never drink again. I&#8217;ll never smoke again, and I will be the perfect husband.&#8221;
Nancy said that&#8217;s exactly what happened.
&#8220;That was the last time George ever had a cigarette or a drink,&#8221; she added. &#8220;And he was a perfect husband. He was changed.&#8221;
In the book, Nancy also opened up about the dark times of the addiction and alleged because of it, her husband was physically abusive at times, the outlet noted.
&#8220;Could I have walked away? Sure, many times,&#8221; Nancy said. &#8220;But I knew he wanted to get well, and he couldn&#8217;t do it alone. You&#8217;ve got to have somebody who believes in you no matter how hard it is, and still stand beside him. And that&#8217;s what I did. You can&#8217;t give up.&#8221;
She called his sobriety &#8220;a blessing.&#8221;
&#8220;He would talk to people about how he turned his life around and encouraged them to quit drinking and smoking,&#8221; Nancy said. &#8220;He would say, &#8216;If I could do it, you can too.&#8217;… That spiritual side of George is my favorite memory of him…&#8221;
George was married four times, first to Dorothy Bonvillion, second to Shirley Ann Corley, third to country singer Tammy Wynette from 1969-1975 before divorcing and marrying Nancy in 1983. He also has seven children.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that George Jones has one child. It has been updated to include that Jones has seven children.

George Jones-1

George Jones’ Widow Opens Up About Husband Nearly Losing His Life During Addiction Battle

Alcohol

Celebrities

Country Music

Entertainment

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco&#8217;s</a> drug crisis hit a grim milestone last month, beating the city&#8217;s previous record for the most fatal drug overdoses in one month.
The city saw 84 accidental drug overdose deaths in August, or about five deaths every two days, <a href="https://sf.gov/data/preliminary-unintentional-drug-overdose-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to preliminary city data.
August <a href="https://sf.gov/data/preliminary-unintentional-drug-overdose-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surpassed</a> January&#8217;s 83 drug deaths for the deadliest month since San Francisco started tracking monthly overdose deaths in early 2020.
Fentanyl was <a href="https://californiaglobe.com/fr/san-francisco-sees-deadliest-drug-overdose-month-on-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involved</a> in 66 of last month&#8217;s drug deaths.
So far this year, a total of 563 people have <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/18/san-francisco-ties-record-for-most-overdose-deaths-in-a-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> from a drug overdose in San Francisco, although the causes of over 100 of those deaths are still under examination.
San Francisco is now on track to see 845 overdose deaths this year, which would beat the record 725 deaths the city saw in 2020, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-fentanyl-crisis-overdose-deaths-drug-users-18374673.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to city data. Last year, fatal overdoses dropped to 647 deaths, but they have spiked again this year. Back in 2017, a much lower number, 222 people, died from overdoses in the city.
The city has poured <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/tenderloin-drug-arrests-18327055.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">millions</a> of dollars into addressing addiction and overdoses, including a &#8220;safe consumption&#8221; site in the Tenderloin neighborhood that ran for about 11 months last year. However, the site was closed amid concerns over how much it was costing taxpayers, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/tenderloin-drug-arrests-18327055.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaints</a> from nearby residents about the neighborhood deteriorating, and its failure to connect many addicts with drug treatment programs.
So far, however, none of the city&#8217;s interventions have stemmed the crisis.
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Even drug users themselves lament the situation.
“It’s crazy, so sad out here, it’s like a zombie apocalypse,” Georgia Taylor, 32, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-fentanyl-crisis-overdose-deaths-drug-users-18374673.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the San Francisco Chronicle. Taylor said she started using fentanyl “because I lost my two kids to child protective services and had a broken heart.”
“You can’t help people who don’t want help,” Taylor told the outlet. “You can find 100 people out here who have 100 different reasons for using, and we all have to be ready to quit before it will work. I’ve been clean before, and I so, so want to get clean again before I overdose and die. But it’s so hard.”
Besides the ongoing scourge of fentanyl flooding San Francisco&#8217;s streets, a new drug is flooding the illegal drug market and causing headaches for the city.
Xylazine, or &#8220;tranq&#8221; as it is known on the streets, is a cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer mass-manufactured in China that has recently proliferated on the streets of San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York. The “zombie drug” causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on “tranq” since xylazine is not an opioid.
San Francisco&#8217;s drug crisis has also come with rampant homelessness and crime for years.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019.
Overall crime in San Francisco is slightly down this year, but certain types of violent crime are up, <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data.
Murder is up 11% to 40 murders so far. Robberies are up 17% to 1,989 robberies so far. Car thefts are up 11% to 4,898 thefts.

Syringes found at the base of the Pioneer monument on Fulton St. between the SF Main library and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday,  February 3, 2016.  During the month of last September almost 4829 used syringes were found i

San Francisco Sees Record Drug Overdose Deaths In August: ‘Like A Zombie Apocalypse’

San Francisco Sees Record Drug Overdose Deaths In August: 'Like A Zombie Apocalypse'

San Francisco

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sacramento" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento&#8217;s</a> top prosecutor sued the city this week over its homeless encampments, accusing city officials of allowing the homeless population to become a public nuisance.
Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho announced his lawsuit on Tuesday, two months after he first threatened legal action. A companion lawsuit was also filed by residents and business owners.
&#8220;We have an erosion of everyday life,&#8221; Ho <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/21/prosecutor-sacramento-homelessness-lawsuit/70914753007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Tuesday during a press conference announcing the lawsuit. &#8220;We forget what it feels like to be safe and that brings us to this lawsuit &#8230; because we need to get people off the streets.&#8221;
Sacramento&#8217;s homeless population has soared over the last several years.
Last year, the city had a record nearly 9,300 homeless people, up 67% from just three years earlier in 2019, <a href="https://sacramentostepsforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PIT-Report-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to last year&#8217;s Point-In-Time Count. The count also reported more than 1,600 tents and 1,100 vehicles being used for shelter, up five times from 2019.
“Enough is enough,” Ho <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/homeless/article279071054.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Sacramento Bee. “We need to address this public safety crisis for both the housed and the unhoused.&#8221;
In his suit, Ho alleged that Sacramento failed to enforce local laws and allowed the city&#8217;s “descent into decay and this utter collapse into chaos.”
Ho has asked the city to enforce city ordinances on problems like sidewalk obstructions, unlawful storage, dumping, fires, and camping, the lawsuit says. He has also asked the city to audit the millions of dollars spent on the homeless crisis, according to the suit.
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Camping is not allowed during the day on City Hall property, the lawsuit says, and Ho has asked the city &#8220;to extend that same protection that they give to themselves to the rest of the City,&#8221; but to no avail.
&#8220;The unhoused deserve to feel and be safe,&#8221; the lawsuit states, adding that nine out of 10 women who are chronically homeless have been victims of sexual assault.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not compassionate to let someone die in the sweltering summer sun or freeze to death in the cold winter night. It&#8217;s not compassionate to allow unsafe conditions to fester so badly that a 14-year-old boy cannot ride his bike to school or a group of little girls can&#8217;t play soccer on a field littered with needles. It&#8217;s not compassionate when someone in a wheelchair cannot use a sidewalk blocked by tents or a small business is forced to close forever due to repeated broken windows and vandalism,&#8221; the lawsuit says.
Other California cities have been struggling with a homeless crisis as well.
San Francisco has been in the throes of a homelessness crisis for years now, and it has only gotten worse since before the pandemic.
About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself.
In August, San Francisco Mayor London Breed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-mayor-joins-hundreds-of-protesters-urging-9th-circuit-to-scrap-ban-on-city-clearing-homeless-encampments">joined</a> more than 200 protesters to call for an end to a federal restriction on the city’s ability to clear homeless encampments.
Nearly a third of the country&#8217;s homeless people live in California, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2023/06/20/california-accounts-for-nearly-one-third-of-the-nations-homeless-people/70340309007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a June statewide study from a research group at the University of California, San Francisco.

Coronavirus Pandemic 2022 –  Homelessness California

Sacramento’s Top Prosecutor Sues City Over Homeless Encampments

Sacramento's Top Prosecutor Sues City Over Homeless Encampments

Sacramento

Philadelphia passed a bill last week banning supervised <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs">drug</a> consumption sites across most of the city in the latest attempt by a Democrat-run city to curb rampant public drug use.
The Philadelphia City Council <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/supervised-injection-site-ban-philadelphia-city-council-20230914.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the ban Thursday in a 13-1 vote during a heated meeting where dozens of people on both sides of the issue showed up to cheer and heckle speakers.
The bill now heads to Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, who supports supervised drug consumption sites and may refuse to sign it. However, the city council passed the bill with enough of a majority to <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/supervised-injection-site-ban-philadelphia-city-council-20230914.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">override</a> a veto should the mayor issue one.
The legislation would update zoning codes to ban supervised drug consumption sites in nine of the city&#8217;s ten districts, including in the Kensington neighborhood, where homeless people dealing and shooting up drugs line the streets.
Supervised drug consumption sites involve allowing people to bring their own drugs and take them under supervision of clinicians to prevent an overdose. Such sites often offer addicts supplies like clean needles and information about addiction treatment as well.
The bill was drafted by Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents the Kensington area, home to one of the country&#8217;s largest open-air drug markets. She said most of the people opposing the bill do not live in the neighborhoods struggling the most with drug addiction.
&#8220;I will not apologize for making the voice of the people who live in my community a priority,&#8221; Lozada <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/blue-city-drug-haven-home-infamous-kensington-passes-bill-ban-supervised-drug-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at Thursday&#8217;s council meeting. &#8220;I would like those of you who don’t live in the Kensington community to be respectful of those individuals who are raising their families there and who experience and are impacted by what they go through every day.&#8221;
Philadelphia&#8217;s drug overdose crisis peaked in 2021 when 1,276 people fatally overdosed. Since then, harrowing scenes of addicts with skin lesions, high and doubled over have continued to come out of the city.
The Kensington neighborhood is also struggling with an influx of a new drug, Xylazine, called “tranq” on the street, a cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer flooding the U.S. illegal drug market.
Xylazine is mass-manufactured in China and causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off. Drug dealers frequently mix Xylazine with other drugs, and Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on “tranq” since Xylazine is not an opioid.
Philadelphia&#8217;s move comes just one week after Portland, another city struggling to address its public drug use crisis, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-city-council-passes-ban-on-hard-drug-use-on-public-property-but-state-must-approve">passed</a> a ban on using hard drugs on public property.
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Oregon’s state legislature would have to approve Portland’s ban, however, meaning the state would have to reverse its recent decision to decriminalize hard drug use.
Portland&#8217;s emergency ordinance attaches criminal penalties to drug use on public property, namely up to six months in jail or a $500 fine.
In 2021, New York City became the first city to allow supervised drug consumption sites. In the first three months, the city&#8217;s two locations in upper Manhattan reportedly saw about 800 people who made 9,500 <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2022/03/09/a-look-inside-the-1st-safe-injection-sites-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visits</a>. Staff <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/09/14/safe-injection-site-philadelphia-opioids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claim</a> they have prevented more than 1,000 overdoses since the sites opened. However, at one point, two regulars of the sites died when they overdosed elsewhere while the sites were closed at night.
Last year, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/us/gavin-newsom-vetoes-drug-injection-sites.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vetoed</a> a bill that would have allowed certain California cities to open supervised drug injection sites, saying that while he supports &#8220;harm reduction strategies,&#8221; he was worried about “a world of unintended consequences” from approving unlimited sites.
In 2022, more than 110,000 people died of drug overdoses in the U.S., according to federal data.

Homelessness and the opioid crisis in Philadelphia

Drug-Infested Philadelphia Passes Bill To Ban Supervised Drug Sites

Philadelphia

Actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Jared Leto</a> talked during a recent podcast appearance about being introduced to illicit substances at a young age and letting them take him “for a ride” when he got older.
The 51-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">Academy Award winner</a> described his experiences during an appearance on “The Zane Lowe Show” this week, per <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/09/15/jared-leto-opens-up-about-past-drug-use-i-took-it-for-a-ride-and-then-it-took-me-for-a-ride/">Page Six</a>. 
“I grew up in an environment where there were drugs around. I mean, I knew what the smell of weed is as a very, very young kid,” Leto said.
“I remember walking by some trees, like bushes or something as a young kid, very young kid, maybe, I don’t know, fourth grade or something. And saying to the other kids, ‘Oh, someone’s smoking pot there.’ They’re like, ‘What do you mean? What’s pot?’ They didn’t know what that certain spice was. But for us it was pretty normal.”
He described having curiosity about drugs that eventually turned into dependence.
“I was always interested in that,” he told Lowe. “I was always interested in drugs. I was always interested in an experience. I was interested in taking some risk, yeah.”
“I think that’s probably common for people that like to experiment or explore,” the “Suicide Squad” actor continued. “Addiction is a whole another part of it, of course. Taking drugs is one thing, but does it start taking you?”
“I took it for a ride, and then it took me for a ride for sure,” Leto added.
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The actor later talked about realizing things needed to change. 
“I had a moment of clarity. I had an epiphany. There were two paths that I could take in life, I guess is the only way I can describe it,” Leto said. “I took that path. I’ve had very close friends that didn’t, and they’re not here anymore. Many.”
Leto was raised by a single mother, Constance “Connie” Leto, and previously expressed gratitude for her influence on his life. 
&#8220;I was raised around a lot of artists, musicians, photographers, painters and people that were in theater,&#8221; Leto <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/parenting/constance-leto-jared-leto-mom-oscars-165717961.html">said</a> during a 2014 interview with Focus Features. &#8220;Just having the art communal hippie experience as a child, there wasn&#8217;t a clear line that was drawn. We celebrated creative experience and creative expression. We didn&#8217;t try and curtail it and stunt any of that kind of growth.”

Jared Leto

Jared Leto On Excessive Drug Use: ‘I Took It For A Ride And Then It Took Me For A Ride’

Jared Leto On Excessive Drug Use: 'I Took It For A Ride And Then It Took Me For A Ride'

Hollywood

Denver police are investigating allegations of a &#8220;pop-up bar&#8221; selling alcohol at a homeless encampment in the city, along with complaints about tents being rented out for prostitution.
Photos of the &#8220;pop-up bar&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/pop-up-bar-homeless-denver-police-investigating-streetside-tavern/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> dozens of liquor bottles displayed on shelves, television cabinets, and in the drawers of a dresser, along with a cooler, cushioned chairs, a chaise lounge, couches, tents, a barrel, astroturf flooring, and several other items. Large umbrellas provided shade.
Dozens of empty liquor bottles were reportedly visible as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
👀 You cannot make this up: an outdoor bar, couches, Astro turf, complaints of prostitution and “renting out” tents. All on Denver city sidewalks. Will Denver decide some measure of law must be applied? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/homeless?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#homeless</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/denver?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#denver</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Twolfrecovery?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Twolfrecovery</a> <a href="https://t.co/D21OjoKUIP">pic.twitter.com/D21OjoKUIP</a>
&mdash; Chris Parente (@chrisparente) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisparente/status/1702128148391903668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The makeshift speakeasy is reportedly located in northern downtown Denver.
&#8220;We&#8217;re hearing there was an open bar, sales of alcohol, things like that,&#8221; Denver Police Patrol Division Chief Aaron Sanchez <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/pop-up-bar-homeless-denver-police-investigating-streetside-tavern/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CBS Colorado.
&#8220;We have officers looking into that,&#8221; Sanchez said.
He also told the outlet that police are investigating complaints about tents and couches being rented out for prostitution as well.
&#8220;We are looking into all other allegations in regards to the bar setup and along those lines,&#8221; Sanchez said.
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Denver police and city officials visited the homeless encampment on Monday after police said there were &#8220;numerous complaints&#8221; about the encampment blocking the sidewalk.
Meghan Shay, director of development and marketing at Step Denver, an organization that helps homeless men with addiction and mental health, said she had noticed the alleged &#8220;pop-up bar&#8221; while driving past the encampment on her way to work every morning.
&#8220;Over 80% of the homeless have experienced lifetime alcohol and/or drug problems,&#8221; Shay told CBS Colorado, explaining that a homeless encampment serving liquor is counterproductive.
On Wednesday, Denver residents packed into a community meeting to confront Mayor Mike Johnston over his plan to set up micro-communities, or supervised sets of tiny homes for homeless residents.
“This site would be dangerous for new micro-community residents and also dramatically increase the danger for permanent residents,&#8221; said one resident who lives near the site of one proposed micro-community, <a href="https://denvergazette.com/news/denver-micro-community-yale-concerns/article_b8ee8f86-5345-11ee-b8ab-8f80ef0eedf4.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Denver Gazette. &#8220;Our neighborhood functionally has only one entry and exit point with no through traffic, so there are no options to avoid the problem area.”
Residents raised concerns about crime, violence, drug use, public defecation, police response times, nearby schools, and decreasing home values, among other concerns.
“We can disagree on strategy, but homelessness is the No. 1 issue facing this city,” Johnston said at the meeting.
Other large cities have also been struggling with the persistent problem of homelessness and the drug use and crime that often go hand in hand.
San Francisco <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-mayor-joins-hundreds-of-protesters-urging-9th-circuit-to-scrap-ban-on-city-clearing-homeless-encampments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been</a> in the throes of a homelessness crisis for years now, and it has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself. Businesses have fled San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned in part due to the homeless issue.
In Los Angeles, homelessness <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-homelessness-up-10-2023-count-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is up</a> 10% this year, <a href="https://www.lahsa.org/news?article=927-lahsa-releases-results-of-2023-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20%E2%80%93%20The%202023%20Greater,to%20an%20estimated%2046%2C260%20people." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the 2023 greater Los Angeles homeless count results. In the city of Los Angeles itself, the number of homeless people jumped to about 46,260 people. In the broader area of Los Angeles County, the homeless population rose to about 75,518 people.

Homeless camp cleanup

Denver Police Investigating Alleged Pop-Up Bar For Homeless, Tents Rented For Prostitution

Colorado

Denver

San Francisco has hired a new tourism chief who says will change the &#8220;ongoing narrative&#8221; about San Francisco as the city struggles to combat the stubborn issues of homelessness, drug use, and crime.
The San Francisco Travel Association, the city&#8217;s tourism and marketing organization, announced that Scott Beck will take over as president and CEO later this fall.
Beck currently has a similar role leading Destination Toronto, the Canadian city&#8217;s official tourism marketer. Before his Toronto stint, Beck was head of Visit Salt Lake, Salt Lake City’s tourism bureau for 14 years.
Beck <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s-f-tourism-new-official-city-s-biggest-struggle-18355613.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the San Francisco Chronicle that his biggest challenge will be the “ongoing narrative about San Francisco as a monolithic experience, when it’s clearly not.”
Beck added that media coverage of San Francisco&#8217;s safety is “not 100% accurate.”
“Urban cities across the country are struggling with a lot of the same issues,” he said, adding that he is “committed to expressing a spectrum of experiences.”
San Francisco has been in the throes of a homelessness and drug crisis that has come with rampant crime for years now. The city by the bay consistently struggles to make a dent in the humanitarian crisis unfolding every day on the streets.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself.
Crime and open-air drug use often accompanies the homeless issue, causing businesses to flee San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned. A string of brands have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/att-closing-flagship-store-in-downtown-san-francisco">abandoned</a> their locations downtown recently including Whole Foods, AT&amp;T, Nordstrom, and mall company Westfield.
While overall crime in San Francisco is slightly down this year, certain types of violent crime are up, <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data.
Murder is up 15% to 38 murders so far this year. Robberies are up 17% to 1,855 robberies so far. Car thefts are up 12% to 4,617 thefts.
Meanwhile, the drug crisis is still raging, although overdose deaths have dropped from their all-time high in 2020 during the thick of the pandemic.
In 2022, San Francisco saw 620 fatal drug overdoses, down from 640 overdose deaths in 2021. In 2020, overdose deaths spiked to 725 deaths.
Tourism has dropped significantly from the record levels San Francisco saw in 2019 just before the pandemic, and is not expected to recover fully for several years.
Nearly half of Americans, 48%, now view San Francisco as unsafe, up from just 30% back in 2006, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-crime-safety-national-poll-gallup-18329066.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Gallup. Views are starkly split down political lines, with 74% of Democrats believing that the city is safe, while only 32% of Republicans feel it is safe.
The San Francisco Travel Association has an annual budget of $33 million, and the group is currently <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s-f-launches-6-million-ad-campaign-lure-tourists-18126690.php">running</a> a $6 million global tourism campaign, their biggest campaign ever.
“A strong tourism industry is vital to the city’s economy, local businesses and neighborhoods, and I am passionately committed to helping steward San Francisco’s ongoing tourism recovery,” Beck said in a statement.
Beck will take his position on October 30 and replace 18-year veteran Joe D’Alessandro, who is retiring.

Coronavirus Pandemic 2022 –  Tenderloin Neighborhood

San Francisco Hires New Tourism Boss Who Says He’ll Change ‘Ongoing Narrative’ As City Battles Drug Use, Homelessness

San Francisco Hires New Tourism Boss Who Says He'll Change 'Ongoing Narrative' As City Battles Drug Use, Homelessness

London Breed

The Portland City Council passed a ban on using <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hard drugs</a> on public property in a sign of how fed up the city is with rampant open-air drug use polluting its streets.
Oregon&#8217;s state legislature would have to approve Portland&#8217;s ban, however, meaning the state would have to reverse a recent decision to decriminalize hard drug use.
The City Council voted unanimously 5-0 on Wednesday to ban the use of hard drugs like fentanyl, heroin, and meth on public property.
The emergency ordinance also attaches criminal penalties to drug use on public property, namely up to six months in jail or a $500 fine.
“These are necessary, common-sense steps to disrupt debilitating drug use on the streets of Portland that does deep damage to our city’s livability, overwhelms our emergency response system and destroys lives,” Commissioner Rene Gonzalez said.
For the ban to go into effect, Oregon state lawmakers would have to pass a law allowing cities to crack down on public drug use.
In 2020, Oregon voters approved by 58% a ballot measure that decriminalized public drug use, a decision most voters now say they regret, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/18/majority-of-voters-in-oregon-regret-decriminalizing-drugs-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to one survey.
Measure 110, which took effect in early 2021, decriminalized the possession of small amounts of hard drugs including the increasingly popular fentanyl, heroin, and meth. The law made possession punishable only by a maximum fine of $100.
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Two years later, more than 6 in 10 voters said they think decriminalization has made drug addiction, homelessness, and crime worse in Oregon, according to a <a href="https://www.dhmresearch.com/oregon-voters-support-bringing-back-criminal-penalties-for-drug-possession/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from DMH Research. A combined 63% said they &#8220;strongly&#8221; supported or would be &#8220;somewhat&#8221; interested in once again criminalizing hard drugs.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, emphasized the urgency of Portland&#8217;s drug addiction crisis at Wednesday&#8217;s council meeting.
“The bottom line is this: Week by week the situation is getting worse,” the mayor said. “We have to focus with urgency to save lives and livelihoods.”
Fatal overdoses have skyrocketed in the Portland area in recent years.
Last year, fentanyl deaths alone hit a record 209 deaths in Multnomah County, which includes Portland, the Oregonian <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/09/portland-leaders-approve-public-drug-use-ban-state-law-must-first-change-to-enact.html?outputType=amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Between 2018 and last year, fatal overdoses from opioids increased fivefold.
So far this year, Portland police are investigating more than 100 suspected drug overdose deaths, according to the mayor.
Almost every resident who spoke at the City Council meeting voiced their support for the city&#8217;s ban on public use of hard drugs, the Oregonian reported.
Meanwhile, beer and marijuana remain illegal to consume on public property in Portland, such as on sidewalks or in city parks.
The City Council also unanimously approved a resolution that involves requesting changes to state law to align the rules on public consumption of drugs “with existing regulations governing alcohol and cannabis.”
Meanwhile, harrowing scenes of open-air drug use and homelessness continued to come out of Portland, tarnishing the once-thriving city&#8217;s image and rebranding it as decrepit and unsafe.
Other California cities have struggled with homelessness, drug use, and rising crime as well. In San Francisco, businesses have abandoned the downtown area as open-air drug use has become more prevalent in the area.

Community Activist Offers Drug Addicts Safe Haven In Mobile Consumption Room

Portland City Council Passes Ban On Hard Drug Use On Public Property, But State Must Approve

Oregon

Portland

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco</a> commissioner who created the &#8220;Doom Loop&#8221; walking tour of San Francisco&#8217;s most decrepit and drug-infested areas resigned this week in a scathing letter to Mayor London Breed.
Alex Ludlum, San Francisco&#8217;s land use commissioner, resigned from the city&#8217;s Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on Monday. Breed appointed the 35-year-old real estate professional to the commission last year.
In his resignation letter to the mayor, which he <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/sf-doom-loop-tour-commissioner-resigns-breed-18334470.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> with the San Francisco Chronicle, Ludlum pointed the finger squarely at San Francisco&#8217;s drug crisis for the city&#8217;s deterioration.
&#8220;The unchecked drug dealing is plainly the root of our current problems,&#8221; Ludlum wrote. “As Mayor, I hope you will continue to address these dire issues, and will have my full support in doing so.”
&#8220;As long as the open-air drug markets continue their daily operations, we will continue to witness the misery of suffering addicts, the withdrawal of pedestrians and office-workers, the ongoing closures of small businesses, and the stagnation of our rich cultural life,&#8221; he said. &#8220;All of downtown will suffer until the markets are closed.&#8221;
Ludlum <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2023/08/31/doom_loop_city_149698.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apologized</a> for creating the &#8220;Downtown Doom Loop Walking Tour,&#8221; which was advertised as a look at the “worst of San Francisco” and the “doom and squalor of downtown.” The tour was <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-doom-loop-tour-18327646.php">canceled</a> less than 24 hours before it was to take place.
&#8220;I regret that my attempt to bring attention to the deplorable street conditions &amp; rampant criminality in my neighborhood has been misconstrued as a mockery of suffering individuals,&#8221; Ludlum wrote in his letter.
&#8220;Satire is a poor way to address the grave issues we face as a city,&#8221; he added.
The $30 &#8220;Doom Loop&#8221; tour, which reportedly sold out, attracted media attention and backlash before it was canceled. The tour promised to show people the city&#8217;s open-air drug markets, empty office buildings, and the “urban decay” in the Tenderloin, Mid-Market, and Union Square.
A spokesman for Mayor Breed called Ludlum&#8217;s decision to organize and publicize the tour a &#8220;deep error in judgment.&#8221;
“We are working every day to address the city’s challenges, and our focus remains on doing the work to move this city forward,” the mayor&#8217;s spokesman <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/sf-doom-loop-tour-commissioner-resigns-breed-18334470.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the San Francisco Chronicle.
Initially, it was not clear that Ludlum was the &#8220;Doom Loop&#8221; organizer, but his involvement reportedly came to light when refund notices for the tour listed a person with his email address as the organizer.
San Francisco <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-mayor-joins-hundreds-of-protesters-urging-9th-circuit-to-scrap-ban-on-city-clearing-homeless-encampments">has been</a> in the throes of a homelessness and drug crisis for years now.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rising-crime-homelessness-leave-residents-of-san-francisco-and-oakland-on-edge">are homeless</a> in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself.
Crime and open-air drug use often accompanies the homelessness issue, causing businesses to flee San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned.
The drug crisis is still raging as well &#8212; although overdose deaths have dropped from their all-time high in 2020 during the thick of the pandemic.
In 2022, San Francisco saw 620 fatal drug overdoses, down from 640 overdose deaths in 2021. In 2020, overdose deaths spiked to 725.

Homelessness in San Francisco

San Francisco Commissioner, Creator Of ‘Doom Loop’ Tour, Resigns In Scathing Letter To Mayor

San Francisco Commissioner, Creator Of 'Doom Loop' Tour, Resigns In Scathing Letter To Mayor

Doctors in New York City are scrambling to find answers as a a cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer floods the city&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal drug market</a>.
Xylazine, called “tranq” on the street, is mass-manufactured in China and has recently proliferated on the streets New York as well as San Francisco and Philadelphia.
The “zombie drug” causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Drug dealers frequently mix Xylazine with fentanyl to prolong the high, creating a potentially deadly cocktail, but “tranq” is often mixed with other drugs like meth and cocaine as well, meaning users often take Xylazine unknowingly.
“Tranq” recently hit the streets of New York with “astonishing” speed, <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/xylazine-hitting-new-york-city-with-astonishing-speed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to law enforcement.
Dr. Paolo Coppola, the board-certified co-founder of Victory Recovery Partners near Oyster Bay on Long Island, said the situation gets much more complicated when tranq is involved.
“The clinical picture becomes much more diabolical, a lot harder to follow — a lot more can go wrong,” Coppola <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/zombie-drug-tranq-leaves-illegal-narcotics-more-potent-while-making-it-even-harder-for-opioid-addicts-to-quit-doctors-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post.
Meanwhile, Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on “tranq” since xylazine is not an opioid.
“When [an addict] uses a speedball of cocaine and heroin, we can deal with that no problem. You reverse the heroin so they start breathing again and you wait for the cocaine to finish up,” Coppola said.
“Xylazine doesn’t work that way,” the doctor told the Post. “When they come to the emergency room, you fully expect them to wake up when you push the Narcan … but all of a sudden it’s not really working, they’re not waking up.”
Coppola said doctors often have to use different drugs to help patients on &#8220;tranq&#8221; whose blood pressure or heart rate is sinking. Addicts can also be addicted to Xylazine without knowing it until they try to get clean and the withdrawal leaves them anxious and irritable.
Dr. Steve Salvatore, Victory’s co-founder and president warned that because &#8220;tranq&#8221; is so cheap and prolongs the high, we are &#8220;going to be seeing a lot more of xylazine.&#8221;
“That’s why it’s become popular: Now, your high goes from one or two hours to more like four to five hours,” Dr. Steve Salvatore told the Post.
Xylazine has the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) alarmed as well.
The DEA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flesh-rotting-zombie-drug-tranq-has-dea-alarmed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 states. In 2022, the DEA found xylazine in about 23% of the fentanyl powder and 7% of the fentanyl pills seized by the agency.
In the three and a half years from January 2019 to June 2022, the number of fentanyl deaths each month that involved xylazine spiked from about 2.9% to 10.9% in 20 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7226a4.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in June.
Because Xylazine was only ever intended for animal use, the drug is not a controlled substance federally or in New York. Several cities and states have moved to crack down on the drug, however.

US-HEALTH-DRUGS

New York Doctors Scrambling As Flesh-Rotting ‘Zombie Drug’ Tranq Takes Over Streets

New York Doctors Scrambling As Flesh-Rotting 'Zombie Drug' Tranq Takes Over Streets

Eric Adams

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