San Francisco’s controversial “Managed Alcohol Program” provides free booze to homeless alcoholics, sparking criticism from a tech CEO and raising ethical questions about enabling addiction.
This program is a misguided attempt at addressing the complex issue of homelessness and addiction. While the intention may be to prevent harm and reduce strain on emergency services, providing free alcohol only perpetuates dependency and exacerbates the cycle of addiction. It’s concerning that taxpayer funds are being allocated to sustain harmful habits rather than investing in comprehensive solutions that address the root causes of homelessness and addiction. San Francisco must prioritize evidence-based interventions that promote rehabilitation and long-term recovery, rather than enabling destructive behaviors.
Did you know San Francisco spends $2 million a year on a "Managed Alcohol Program?" It provides free Alcohol to people struggling with chronic alcoholism who are mostly homeless. I stumbled upon the building where they have this program. This is what I saw.🧵
— Adam Nathan • blaze.ai (@adampnathan) May 8, 2024
The location is an old hotel in SOMA. Inside the lobby, they had a kegs set up to taps where they were basically giving out free beer to the homeless who've been identified with AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder).
— Adam Nathan • blaze.ai (@adampnathan) May 8, 2024
While there have been some limited studies showing some promise, I have to point out a couple of things that troubled me.
— Adam Nathan • blaze.ai (@adampnathan) May 8, 2024
1. The Department of Public Health is spending $2 million of taxpayer dollars to give free alcohol to mostly homeless people struggling with alcoholism.
2. It's set up so people in the program just walk in and grab a beer, and then another one. All day.
— Adam Nathan • blaze.ai (@adampnathan) May 8, 2024
The whole thing is very odd to me and just doesn't feel right. Providing free drugs to drug addicts doesn't solve their problems. It just stretches them out. Where's the recovery in all of this?
— Adam Nathan • blaze.ai (@adampnathan) May 8, 2024
I'm no doctor or "expert" on issues of drug policy. But I am a taxpayer. When did this Managed Alcohol Program get approved? Where were the public hearings? Why is it hidden away in an old hotel? Who approved a $2 million budget for it?
— Adam Nathan • blaze.ai (@adampnathan) May 8, 2024
Legit news source reporting that the program actually costs $5 million per year:
San Francisco slammed for $5M a year program to give free alcohol to the homeless: ‘This isn’t working’ t.co/El6HrBkure pic.twitter.com/ch8Qy02cWI
— New York Post (@nypost) May 11, 2024
A program that offers free booze to the homeless alcoholics that roam San Francisco caught flak this week when a tech CEO questioned the logic of feeding the addictions of the city’s street dwellers.
Adam Nathan, founder and CEO of the small business AI marketing tool Blaze and the chair of the Salvation Army San Francisco Metro Advisory Board, posted a thread on X slamming the program after watching a string of unhoused drunks line up for their shots, stating it “just doesn’t feel right.”
“Did you know San Francisco spends $2 million a year on a “Managed Alcohol Program?” It provides free Alcohol to people struggling with chronic alcoholism who are mostly homeless,” Nathan wrote on the social media site.
h/t WeAreNotTheFirst