SF's 'Cash not Drugs' legislation wants to gift people $100 a week to stay sober
SAN FRANCISCO -- City officials in San Francisco are announcing legislation that would pay people up to $100 a week if they can prove they are not doing drugs.
Officials believe this incentive will motivate people to stay sober and encourage others to stop.
On the step of City Hall, just blocks from one of the city's drug overdoses hotspot, San Francisco Mayor London Breed got candid about her personal reason to support what they are calling the "Cash not Drugs" legislation.
"I lost my sister to a drug overdose. She was down in the streets of the Tenderloin, and it was definitely very difficult to get her the help she needs. I want to make it easier. Just as easy to get treatment as it is to go out there and buy dope," said Mayor Breed.
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"I think this is intended to be more of a carrot than a stick, but it's also based on strategies that we know would work. It's a contingency management strategy that rewards people for good behavior," said Supervisor Dorsey.
A similar program through the VA showed great success in the first 5 years with over 90% of participants testing negative for drugs.
Randy Shaw, Executive Director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic doesn't believe this is the best way for San Francisco to use its resources.
"The voters have already said you have to be in this program drug treatment in order to keep your grant going. Now, we are saying, we are going to give you another incentive of $400, $500 a month to do what the voters said you should do anyway.," said Shaw and added, "We are going to give them $1,000 dollars a month."
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We talked to Moushan Smith about what he thought. Smith has been sober for 12 months.
Luz Pena: "Would you have stopped doing drugs if they would've told you that you would've gotten $100?"
Moushan Smith: "No, I wouldn't have," and added, "The money is not the issue. It's my health. It's my well-being. Myself. I'm the one that made the choice. It wasn't because somebody offered me money."
Smith still believes this incentive could work for some people.
"This is a factor though. This does work too, but it's also up to the person," said Smith.
Some expects know that some people will abuse it but still see the benefit.
"Some people will abuse their money. It's a fact of life, but I think of the percentage of people that won't abuse it is much greater than the ones who will abuse it," said Dale Seymour, Founder of Code Tenderloin.
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According to the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 374 people have died from a drug overdose so far in 2024. 48 people in June.
Mayor Breed said the city has made other investments to tackle the drug crisis and offer help.
"We know everyone's journey is different. This city was not focused on abstinence-based solutions. I have invested over $20 million for 7 new abstinence-based recovery programs to meet people where they are," said Mayor Breed.
This legislation still needs to be approved by the board of supervisors. According to Supervisor Dorsey, if it passes, the city will get 6 months to prepare. A possible implementation is projected for mid-2025.
