Drugs, homelessness, real estate crisis put San Francisco on slippery slope to decline

SAN FRANCISCO, US - OCTOBER 31, 2021 (ARCHIVE FOOTAGE): San Francisco, formerly one of the most popular and thriving cities of the US and California, an economic powerhouse and one of its biggest states, is facing a host of serious issues, with a shrinking population reflecting its multiple woes. A drug epidemic and a rise in the number of the homeless, due in large part to rents that are out of reach for most people, have led to future prospects for the bustling city to be mixed at best. - Fentanyl proves deadly Fentanyl, a highly potent opioid drug 50-100 times more powerful than morphine, has wreaked havoc nationwide but hit San Francisco harder than most. According to the San Francisco Chronicle daily, the city might be poised to exceed a record 700 deaths per year for 2023, only three years after the last deadly threshold was reached. The drug overdose epidemic appears to have been concentrated in the city’s Tenderloin district, where Mayor London Breed declared an official state of emergency in December 2021. The data also shows another grim figure: compared to 2010’s 13 overdose-related deaths per 100,000 people, just a decade later the rate stood at 49 per 100,000, a whopping 370% increase. African Americans, who make up nearly 6% of the city, are the demographic hit the hardest by the drug epidemic, the Chronicle reported. The city, known for its ‘60s hippie history and permissive stance when it comes to drugs, has not only been hit by Fentanyl-related deaths, even though they account for three-quarters of drug overdoses. Methamphetamine is also widely used in the city and also leads to numerous deaths. (Footage by Lokman Vural Elibol /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)