San Francisco Considers Proposal to Pay Welfare Recipients Who Stay Sober

The far-left city of San Francisco, California is considering a measure to give payments to welfare recipients who test negative for various drugs, in order to combat the city’s rise in drug use.

As the Daily Caller reports, the “Cash Not Drugs” program was jointly introduced by Mayor London Breed (D-Calif.) and Board of Supervisors member Matt Dorsey (D-Calif.). The program would issue payments of $100 a week to residents whose drug tests come back negative. In order to be eligible, residents must be on a form of welfare such as the County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP), must have a form of substance abuse disorder, and must voluntarily submit to weekly drug tests.

Once all conditions have been met, the residents in question would receive their payments in the form of either gift cards or electronic benefit transfers. The handouts would be funded by the Homelessness and Supportive Housing Fund (HSHF) and the CAAP Treatment Fund. The program would last for three years, and would be run by the city’s Human Services Agency and Department of Public Health.

“I want to make it just as easy to get treatment, as it is to go out there and buy dope,” said Breed during the press conference announcing the initiative.

The announcement follows the city’s approval of a ballot proposition in March that “would require anyone who receives CAAP benefits to be screened for substance use disorder if the City reasonably suspects the person to be dependent on illegal drugs.” It also comes amidst record-high numbers of drug overdoses in the city, with 806 drug overdose deaths in 2023. The crisis has led to numerous instances of public drug use in the streets and in public areas such as libraries.

Some residents have expressed skepticism about the proposal. Speaking to local television network KTVU FOX 2, resident Salvatore Zucco believes that the handouts “would be a good short-term incentive,” but not enough to convince residents to stay sober long-term. Jonathan Broomfield, another San Francisco resident, told the outlet that “$100 would not do it at all.”

The proposal now goes to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for a vote on whether to approve it or reject it.