New street drug “soap” causes crime to rise in Californian city

A new street drug gaining a foothold in San Francisco is causing a rise in crime as the city aggressively addresses the homelessness crisis.

The drug, known as “soap” – a diluted version of fentanyl – is overpriced and of inferior quality, leading to an increase in robberies, according to The San Francisco Standard.

Mayor London Breed recently said the time for compassion is over as she announced plans to tackle the city's homelessness crisis, which has residents fearing for their safety.

Homeless drug addicts told the local newspaper that despite the city's efforts to crack down on drugs, the weaker quality of fentanyl leaves them wanting more and resorting to desperate measures to get it.

“People are going crazy, they're starting to rob and hurt each other,” said Samuel Boles, a homeless Tenderloin resident.

A street drug called “Soap” – a diluted version of fentanyl – infiltrates San Francisco

Addicts say soap is overpriced and of poor quality, leading to a rise in robberies

“There are only one or two people in the city who really have something good. For people outside the city, it's extremely difficult.”

The increase in the number of homeless people, which currently stands at around 8,300, has brought with it a host of other related problems: the sidewalks are full of illegal drug dealers, fentanyl users, and violent and intimidating behavior is common near the tent camps.

In certain parts of the city, including the troubled Tenderloin district, there is now so much misery and neglect that local businesses can no longer find staff and residents are forced to flee.

According to police, there have been 1,671 robberies, 3,579 burglaries, 4,313 car thefts and 21,497 thefts in the city so far this year.

Some addicts said that now that “soap” has infiltrated the market, they find it harder to do things because the high lasts so short and they quickly seek more.

Mayor London Breed recently said the time for compassion is over as she announced plans to tackle the city's homelessness crisis

“Now that it's worse, it's almost harder to quit. It's harder to keep appointments,” Karl Ramsey, a Tenderloin resident, told The Standard.

Data from the Drug Enforcement Administration shows that fentanyl purity in California has dropped from an average of 29 percent to 23 percent this year.

According to the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office, there have been 374 overdose deaths this year through July 8, 268 of which were from fentanyl.

However, some advocates argue that reducing fentanyl strength is a victory for the city's fight against the opioid crisis.

“This is a good thing,” said Cregg Johnson, founder of the nonprofit Positive Directions Equals Changes. “It will help fight overdoses, because drugs mean death.”