(The Center Square) – Governor Newsom approved $1 million in state funding to expand San Francisco’s recreational drug testing program in an effort to reduce overdoses from contaminated illicit drugs. Following the state’s $60 million grant to purchase and stock Narcan, an opiate overdose reversal drug, this effort is a continuation of California Democrats’ plan to minimize overdose deaths through an emphasis on “harm reduction” over jail time for dealing drugs or other drug-related crimes.
“This generous grant will enable San Francisco to significantly expand access to no-questions-asked drug checking services for recreational users of all drugs — and it will save lives,” said San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey.
Under the expanded program, whose funding was secured through efforts by California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the San Francisco Department of Public Health will fund four new mobile drug testing units operated by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Rock Medicine.
However, not everyone appears to be sold on the program, and a broad, bi-partisan coalition seems to be growing against such “harm-reduction” efforts.
Speaking on behalf of SB44, a recently stalled bill to charge individuals who sell illicit or counterfeit drugs that result in death with homicide, progressive San Diego mayor Todd Gloria said, “SB 44 is common sense legislation that forces dealers to acknowledge that fentanyl is deadly and leads to more serious penalties for those who continue to traffic in this poison and kill someone.”
Responding directly to the new funding, San Francisco Republican Party Chairman John Dennis said, “This is just another in a long list of inappropriate government actions from Senator Wiener. It’s not the place of any government to enable recreational drug use.”
