Prop F progress: Drug treatment referrals show early results
Published August 08, 2025
The Facts
About 100 people have entered drug treatment in the past six months due to the passage of Proposition F in March 2024 (GrowSF supported Prop F). Maggie Angst at the Chronicle reports that more than 300 were referred to treatment (meaning they were suspected of being addicted to drugs), 154 people were given a treatment plan, and 101 people engaged in some form of treatment. Just 21 people have refused to engage and lost their cash benefits.
The Context
About two people die from drug overdose every day in San Francisco, predominantly among homeless people. Prop F was designed to get people into treatment by requiring those receiving cash benefits to engage in drug treatment or else lose their benefits.
Prop F marked a shift from harm-reduction toward mandated intervention in the city’s drug crisis. It was written well, and properly balanced treatment mandates with support services. As we wrote in our endorsement of Prop F:
Individual adults who are suspected of being dependent on illegal drugs will be required to undergo a professional evaluation for substance abuse by the Department of Public Health. If they are found to have a substance abuse issue, they will be required to participate in a treatment program in order to obtain the cash assistance. If they fail to comply with the treatment program (provided at no-cost to them), their cash assistance will be suspended for 30 days. However, their housing assistance will continue, and may be extended for longer if necessary to prevent eviction and homelessness.
Individuals will not lose their benefits if they are not 100% sober; they only need to participate in the treatment program.
The GrowSF Take
We're glad to see Prop F has helped get some people into treatment, but we're disappointed that the numbers are so low and so many people continue to die from drug overdoses.
We hope to see these numbers continue to grow as the program matures. The early results are promising, and we hope that more people will be referred to treatment and that more will successfully engage in it. Losing two people every day to drug overdoses is unacceptable.