Open-air drug markets a reminder: much work still to do in San Francisco’s Tenderloin

Article excerpt

San Francisco's Tenderloin district remains plagued by open-air drug markets despite cleanup efforts, with 3 a.m. scenes showing dealers operating freely alongside homeless encampments, discarded needles, and unconscious addicts. The vivid conditions, trash-strewn sidewalks, fentanyl use in alleys, dealers on every corner, illustrate how much work remains even as city officials claim progress. The persistence of the problem suggests that earlier interventions and public safety measures have failed to dent the scale of drug trafficking and addiction in the neighborhood.