Eligible San Franciscans could soon receive payments of up to $100 per week for abstaining from illicit drugs under a proposed “Cash Not Drugs” legislation.
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey announced the legislation on the steps of San Francisco City Hall on Monday morning. Mayor London Breed, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and six community leaders also gathered to support the legislation, which they heralded as a potential remedy to the city’s devastating drug crisis.
Del Seymour, founder of Code Tenderloin, was one of the community leaders at Monday’s event.
“I’m real tired. You know what I’m tired of? I’m tired of those plastic yellow sheets, laying on the ground with a body under them in the Tenderloin,” said Seymour, whose nonprofit helps community members gain long-term employment.
The proposed “Cash Not Drugs” program would serve beneficiaries of the San Francisco County Adult Assistance Program who have been screened and diagnosed for substance use disorders and referred to treatment, Dorsey said.
He added the legislation was made possible by the passage of Proposition F – the March 2024 ballot measure that required single, non-senior adults without dependents to undergo screening, evaluation and treatment for drug dependency to qualify for most CAAP benefits if the city suspects they are dependent on illegal drugs.
The weekly payouts, Dorsey said, could increase from smaller amounts all the way up to $100 for continued abstinence from illegal drugs. The city would award the money in addition to CAAP recipients’ pre-existing assistance.
“A humane and effective approach to San Francisco’s drug crisis should also include rewarding good behavior and not just punishing bad behavior,” said Dorsey, who added he was a recovering addict himself at the Monday press conference.
According to a statement by Dorsey’s office, approximately 5,700 residents received monthly CAAP benefits in the 2022-23 fiscal year – which primarily included cash assistance and employment services for poor residents without dependent children. Immigrants, refugees and those who cannot work or do not quality for other government benefit programs also numbers among CAAP recipients, the office added.
Currently, CAAP recipients with housing are eligible for up to $712 in cash per month, and homeless recipients receive a reduced grant of $109 per month, the office said.
“Cash Not Drugs” would be funded by the Homelessness and Supportive Housing Fund and the CAAP Treatment Fund, established by Proposition F, the office said. It also said the state could help fund “Cash Not Drugs” as a Medicaid benefit under the Recovery Incentives Program.
“I want to make it just as easy to get treatment, as it is to go out there and buy dope,” said Breed, who told the audience she also lost her sister to drug overdose. “Whatever it takes to get people on the right path, that’s what we need to do.”
The legislation should be scheduled for a hearing in September, Dorsey said. If enacted, his office said the Human Services Agency would develop a plan within six months for how to implement the program and its weekly drug testing scheme, his office said. The plan, the office added, may establish a cap on the number of initial participants.
I want back pay for the last 50 years. 100x52x50= 260k. Let me guess, I get nothing and it comes out of my tax dollars. 🤬🤯
I would say paying people to stay clean is better than spending $5 million a year to provide free alcohol to the homeless, no? SF has been providing free alcohol for the past 4 years. A quote from SF Chronicle: “Nurses dispense regimented doses of vodka and beer to participants at certain times of day based on care plans”.
For once I agree with a username with MAGA. This just sounds like another way for the state to take MORE money from my hard earned income. No drug addict is going to quit drugs for $100/ week. I appreciate the motive for trying to put an end to these tragedies, but this is a waste of time and probably a waste of the money the state takes from my paycheck.
The good ‘ol Dems are at it again. They make a drug problem worse by decriminalizing drugs, then they supply them with new needles and a safe place to shoot up, now they want to bribe them into sobriety, which of course will not have a positive outcome. Addicts are experts at cheating on a drug test, and know all the tricks on how to test negative.
Whoever said liberalism is a mental disorder is 100% right.
Dawg: “Liberalism is a mental disorder” was coined by Local Radio Host, Michael Savage over 10 years ago. I’ll bet you listened to him as I did for years?!?
Actually, I rarely listened to him. To me, he came across as egocentric and too full of himself.
Next will be cash for not shoplifting.
Some place already has that. If you don’t get arrested for the month or week, you get taxpayer money.
VOTE THEM OUT!
Just seems to continue the approach of Many in politics… That the ONLY incentive, to have citizens work toward a lifestyle that contributes to the community.. Is to give them $$$$ from the Govt..
I don’t want my tax $$ paying for this – better not be coming to CCC, heads will roll at the poll
Why would you even wonder if dorsey is a democrat ? ? ?
At best his is another naive approach which makes me wonder
what level of knowledge he has on subject of addiction.
Yet additional proof democrat politicians have never found
a problem they couldn’t throw money at.
.
‘ ‘I get PAID to be homeless in San Francisco – it takes one phone call’: ‘Old-school junkie’ says he moved to woke city because he gets $620-a-month that pays for his Amazon Prime and Netflix and ‘cops are like neighbors’ ‘
https://tinyurl.com/2r9e7tey
Outstanding video
.
Lets see, if memory serves SF designated a plaza for addicts to shoot up,
next to stairway to Civic Center bart station.
2022
‘Inside San Francisco’s open air drug market that proves why city’s woke effort to connect homeless addicts to rehab is NOT working – as users shoot up, pass out and scatter their needles’
https://tinyurl.com/2xpdx8ux
.
‘San Francisco’s notorious addiction services site – which critics say became ‘$19m open-air drug market’ – will CLOSE at end of year after mayor withdrew taxpayer cash…’
https://tinyurl.com/448wwufh
.
‘ ‘I get PAID to be homeless in San Francisco – it takes one phone call’: ‘Old-school junkie’ says he moved to woke city because he gets $620-a-month that pays for his Amazon Prime and Netflix and ‘cops are like neighbors’ ‘
https://tinyurl.com/2r9e7tey
.
The culmination of governance for years by woke democrat politicians
.
“San Francisco officials on Tuesday unveiled what they said was a deliberately ‘soft touch’ scheme to deal with the city’s relentless drug crisis – insisting that under their plan ‘nobody’s going to jail,’ but remaining vague on how to end the problem.”
https://tinyurl.com/2umn7pya
.
soapbox time,
Substance abusers HAVE TO hit a bottom and decide they are sick-n-tired of being sick-n-tired and decide to get help. Seen it work countless time in last 40+ years.
.
When personal drug use became a misdemeanor (Prop 47) an extremely successful tool was taken away from Judges. Ability to impose a harsh Felony sentence which would be immediately stayed, provided defendant got clean-n-sober, stayed that way, maintained steady employment and committed no new crimes. Defendant was placed on 3 – 5 years of probation with a VERY CLEAR understanding if terms of probation were not adhered to, original Felony sentence would immediately be imposed.
Have watched that proven method work more times than I can count over the years as people were forced to hit a bottom, get clean-n-sober and stay that way.
putting away soap box
Once again, another example of the the California (left) political machine in their manupaltion of the public.
There are pages of text and commentary trying to convinvce you (and everyone else) that what they are doing is good for you, good for the general population, has merit, is warranted, is needed, and is good for us.
Good measures do not need that much explanition and commentary. Another fool’s gold tactic.
Oh my goodness !! What next !! The stupidity is increasing exponentially !!
They gave them free ‘clean needles’ They gave them free ‘stand-in’ drugs to take the place of what they really wanted They gave them “safe” rooms to get high and employed nurses & aides to help prevent them from overdosing…they give them free rent and food – but only if they don’t use drugs while indoors. They let them turn a wonderful, beautiful, historic city into a filthy slum.
~~~~Pocket Cash- (delete, delete, delete)…. Ah Yes. That’s the ticket!
While it’s unlikely to have much if any effect, they are finally trying something that moves the needle in the right direction. You get more of what you subsidize, and they have spent years subsidizing addiction and criminality. It will take a long time and a lot of programs like this to reverse course, but at least they are starting to subsidize something positive.
I’m sure you mean well, Wage Slave. Subsidize… subsidize… The only thing that comes to mind is “GIVE a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day… ” You know the rest, I’m certain.
What I don’t get is housed immigrants and refugees are handed $712/ month, while homeless Americans get $109. Huh?
All of the above .
I sure would like to get paid for things I don’t do.
I’m real tired – you know what im tired of – my tax money used to promote drug use
What about use illegal drugs (twice or more) go to Jail? While in Jail get drug treatment……
just saying….
Maybe the incentive should be if your a good citizen who does not do drugs we will pay you.
Ya can’t make this ‘s’ up…. [smh]
The collective IQ of our elected officials continues to go down.
How about this: Abstain from any goofy legislation for a year and receive a raise!
However they couldn’t possibly do it as goofy legislation is their drug of choice and they are as hooked as any addict.
This is why Oakland and San Francisco won’t be able to turn it around any time soon.
Intentional Incompetence is the theory used. Completely non sensical.
Typical feckless Dem solution to a problem – throw (taxpayers) money at it.
Flip Flop
“If Kamala Harris becomes the nominee and is elected president, she will be the first U.S. president to support legalizing marijuana. While she opposed California’s 2014 marijuana legalization initiative as Attorney General, her stance changed by 2019”
https://themarijuanaherald.com/2024/07/where-kamala-harris-stands-on-marijuana-law-reform/
Only in communist California would something like this exist.
A better idea is to give them a year’s supply of drugs. All at once.