The San Francisco proposal promotes sobriety by providing weekly cash benefits to drug users

A proposal to give San Francisco drug users $100 in city-issued gift cards for each week they stay sober is now one step closer to becoming a reality, according to a report from FOX 2 in the Bay Area .

The city’s Board of Supervisors passed the “cash instead of drugs” proposal. Last week it made good on its promise to offer a humane approach to alleviating the city’s ongoing drug crisis.

“The basic principle of ‘Cash Not Drugs’ is simple: A humane and effective approach to addressing San Francisco’s drug crisis should include rewarding good behavior, not just punishing bad behavior,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey said earlier this year the program. the outlet reported.

The process would determine eligibility through weekly testing. A trial run has already been carried out as part of a 24-week pilot program with 22 patients.

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A previous report from KTVU FOX 2 said sobriety incentives are particularly helpful for those addicted to stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine, drugs that cause withdrawal symptoms that cannot be treated with medications like opiates.

A patient named Dana, who took part in the trial after addiction cost her her job and apartment, said the financial incentives helped her focus on recovery.

“Just the motivation and the help with the gift cards and stuff. This will definitely be a big help to us in the future,” she told KTVU FOX 2.

But others wonder: Do recovery incentives work?

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Some question whether cash-back incentives work for drug addicts. (Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Roots Through Recovery, a California-based outpatient treatment center, says yes.

“A report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that every dollar invested in addiction treatment programs provides a return of between $4 and $7 in the form of reduced drug crime, reduced criminal penalties and reduced theft. When health care savings are factored in, “Total savings can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1,” according to a page on the organization’s website.

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The site added that offering financial incentives to drug users could potentially prevent relapses caused by economic pressures, including “financial instability” and “lack of access to basic needs.”

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Homeless people are seen in San Francisco, California, USA, May 16, 2024, as the city battles fentanyl problems. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Some doctors also agreed with the idea, including Dr. Jeffrey Hom of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

“The brain itself is very plastic,” he explained, according to the report. “It’s very malleable, and contingency management, again, is the most effective treatment we have for stimulant use disorder. It’s trying to rewire some of these pathways that have been created through months and years of substance use.”

Several supervisors supported the proposal and state health officials have six months to begin the program.

Fox News Digital reached out to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

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