{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share","title":"San Francisco Sobers Up on Drugs","domain":"nytimes.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/34960786/pexels-photo-34960786.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"San Francisco streets","category":"Politics","language":"en","slug":"e4a1ca78","id":"e4a1ca78-809c-483c-80ac-18ea67040448","description":"San Francisco shifts from effective drug decriminalization to enforcement and treatment under Mayor Daniel Lurie.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/o","summary":"## TL;DR\n- San Francisco shifts from effective drug decriminalization to enforcement and treatment under Mayor Daniel Lurie.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n- Tents lining streets and public fentanyl use have declined since 2023 crisis peak with record overdose deaths.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n- Voters and leaders reject prior progressive approach after it failed to deliver treatment, echoing Portugal's balanced model.[[2]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share)[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n\n## The story at a glance\nGerman Lopez argues in this *New York Times* opinion piece that San Francisco is reversing its hands-off drug policies amid a fentanyl-driven crisis. Mayor Daniel Lurie, a Levi Strauss heir turned politician, leads the change with arrests, bans on free paraphernalia, and \"recovery first\" initiatives like new treatment beds and a RESET center.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)[[3]](https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-signs-supervisor-dorsey-recovery-first-legislation-building-on-work-to-tackle-behavioral-health-and-homelessness-crisis) This comes after residents grew fed up with open-air markets and tents in 2023, when overdoses hit a record high despite national declines.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html) The piece draws from Lopez's recent visit showing early cleanup signs.\n\n## Key points\n- In 2023, Lopez saw widespread public fentanyl, crack, and meth use near City Hall and police stations, with tents blocking streets in a \"fentanyl fold\" posture.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n- Post-crack epidemic, progressives decriminalized drugs formally in Oregon and practically in San Francisco via lax enforcement, aiming for voluntary treatment over punishment.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n- Fentanyl worsened outcomes: few sought treatment, overdoses soared, prompting voter backlash and Lurie's election on a disorder-fighting platform.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n- City now bans public drug paraphernalia handouts without treatment links, passed \"recovery first\" policy, added hundreds of treatment beds, and plans a RESET center for intoxicated arrestees.[[3]](https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-signs-supervisor-dorsey-recovery-first-legislation-building-on-work-to-tackle-behavioral-health-and-homelessness-crisis)[[4]](https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-signs-legislation-to-advance-the-reset-center-and-combat-public-drug-use-on-san-francisco-streets)\n- Early results include fewer tents and less visible use, though experts debate if gains hold amid health advocate pushback.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\n\n## Details and context\nSan Francisco's pre-Lurie approach mirrored Oregon's Measure 110 but skipped Portugal's enforcement teeth: there, decriminalization pairs fines, panels, and treatment mandates with dissuasion from use, cutting overdoses over two decades.[[5]](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/upshot/san-francisco-drug-crisis.html) California's Prop 47 kept possession a misdemeanor but police rarely pursued it, enabling open markets that drew users from afar.[[6]](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/briefing/san-francisco-addiction.html)\n\nLurie's steps build on voter-approved measures like drug screening for welfare recipients and his Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance, which speeds shelter and enforcement via private funds.[[7]](https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-introduces-new-fentanyl-ordinance/15802422) Critics from harm reduction circles call it a retreat from proven death-reduction tactics, but 2025 saw overdoses drop to the lowest since fentanyl hit.[[8]](https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-luries-statement-on-2025-overdose-deaths-lowest-since-fentanyl-crisis-hit)\n\nThe shift reflects West Coast regret over pure decriminalization experiments, favoring compulsion where voluntary help fell short against fentanyl's grip.[[9]](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/opinion/fentanyl-addiction-drug-policy.html)\n\n## Key quotes\n- \"The transformation is in its early stages, but what I saw in San Francisco was promising.\"[[10]](https://www.facebook.com/nytopinion/posts/san-francisco-was-the-epitome-of-the-dysfunctional-democratic-city-but-under-a-n/1312162420777491) — German Lopez, on recent changes.\n\n## Why it matters\nOpen drug use eroded quality of life in progressive cities, fueling backlash against policies meant to help but enabling chaos instead.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)\nResidents now see cleaner streets and more treatment access, while businesses and visitors benefit from less disorder, though addicts face stricter paths to recovery.[[8]](https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-luries-statement-on-2025-overdose-deaths-lowest-since-fentanyl-crisis-hit)\nOverdose trends and treatment uptake will show if the model scales, with national eyes on whether it beats fentanyl without mass jailings.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html)","hashtags":["#sanfrancisco","#drugs","#fentanyl","#policy","#recovery","#harmreduction"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/san-francisco-drugs-decriminalization-fentanyl.html","title":""},{"url":"https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-signs-supervisor-dorsey-recovery-first-legislation-building-on-work-to-tackle-behavioral-health-and-homelessness-crisis","title":""},{"url":"https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-signs-legislation-to-advance-the-reset-center-and-combat-public-drug-use-on-san-francisco-streets","title":""},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/upshot/san-francisco-drug-crisis.html","title":""},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/briefing/san-francisco-addiction.html","title":""},{"url":"https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-introduces-new-fentanyl-ordinance/15802422","title":""},{"url":"https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-luries-statement-on-2025-overdose-deaths-lowest-since-fentanyl-crisis-hit","title":""},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/opinion/fentanyl-addiction-drug-policy.html","title":""},{"url":"https://www.facebook.com/nytopinion/posts/san-francisco-was-the-epitome-of-the-dysfunctional-democratic-city-but-under-a-n/1312162420777491","title":""}],"viewCount":4,"publishedAt":"2026-04-06T18:03:36.728Z"}