‘It’s not fun anymore’: Fentanyl users rush for treatment as drug deaths drop
Fentanyl users living on the Tenderloin’s streets say they’ve had enough. Many are chronically sick. They face near-constant scrutiny from law enforcement. And now, the drugs don’t work like they used to. San Francisco’s fentanyl purity has dropped over the past few months, according to more than a dozen Tenderloin drug users and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The supply is diluted with unknown chemicals, plastics, and hygiene products, they say, earning the weaker drugs a new nickname: “soap”.
As the city launched a crackdown on visible drug markets last year, overdose totals climbed to record numbers. But now, rehabs are seeing a surge in patients, and overdose fatalities are down over the past three months — though still alarmingly high — in line with the national trend.
There were 248 rehab admissions between April and June — the most since at least January 2021, data show. And many street drug users say the lifestyle they once had is dead.
