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Investigation: Waste of the Day – San Francisco Is Treating Alcoholism with Free Beer

By Adam Andrzejewski

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Investigation by Adam Andrzejewski originally published by RealClearPolicy.com and RealClearWire.com

Topline: San Francisco spends $5 million each year on its “Managed Alcohol Program,” which provides free beer and vodka to homeless addicts, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Key facts: The small program started in 2020 to help those in isolation suffering from alcohol withdrawal. Now it operates 20 beds in a former hotel, where nurses provide limited amounts of alcohol so homeless residents can fuel their addiction without risking alcohol poisoning.

It made headlines this May after Adam Nathan, chair of the Salvation Army San Francisco Metro Advisory Board, posted on X about watching homeless drunks line up for free beer. Nathan said people “can just walk in and grab a beer,” but the city health department told the San Francisco Chronicle that the program is more controlled than that.

Supporters say the program saves money by keeping homeless alcoholics off the streets and decreasing their reliance on emergency services. The goal is to keep people out of the hospital but not necessarily to get them sober.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the program is part of the city’s larger use of “harm reduction.” Other programs give drug addicts clean needles and overdose-reversal drugs instead of promoting abstinence.

Even Mayor London Breed recently came out against harm reduction.

The program has some beds “earmarked to serve the Latinx/Indigenous Mayan community.” The city’s public health system says “Latinx individuals experience worse alcohol related health complications and mortality, face greater criminalization, and have limited access to treatment.”

Program participants are also allowed to use marijuana, according to Fox News, although it’s not provided by the city.

Critical quote: “As a Democrat, I’m all for directing more government funds to programs that achieve their objectives and provide public benefits … But this isn’t working,” Nathan said on X. “The whole system is incentivized to make money off those people rather than help them get healthy … We are living in the upside down.”

Summary: Alcohol can get expensive, but most privately-owned bars probably wish they had as much cash on hand as San Francisco’s free alcohol program.
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By Adam Andrzejewski – The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.

Deneen Borelli

Deneen Borelli is the author of Blacklash: How Obama and the Left are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation. Deneen is a contributor with Newsmax Broadcasting. She is a former Fox News contributor and has appeared regularly on “Hannity,” “Fox & Friends,” “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” and “America’s Newsroom.” She has also appeared on Fox Business Network programs “Making Money with Charles Payne,” “The Evening Edit with Liz MacDonald,” and “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.” Previously, Deneen appeared on MSNBC, CNN, the BBC and C-SPAN. In addition to television, Deneen co-hosted radio programs on the SiriusXM Patriot channel with her husband Tom. Recently, Deneen co-hosted the Reigniting Liberty podcast with Tom. Deneen is a frequent speaker at political events, including the FreedomWorks 9.12.2009 March on D.C. which drew a crowd estimated at over 800,000 people. Deneen is also an Ambassador with CloutHub.com, a social media platform that promotes free speech, and with the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) which advances policies that put Americans first. Deneen testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in May 2011 and before the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee in December 2011. Previously, Deneen was a BlazeTV.com host, Outreach Director with FreedomWorks.org overseeing its Empower.org outreach program, a Project 21 Senior Fellow, and Manager of Media Relations with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Prior to joining CORE, Deneen worked at Philip Morris USA for 20 years. During her corporate career at Philip Morris she worked in various positions, her last as Project Management Coordinator in the Information Management department where she was responsible for the department’s mandated quality processes, communications, sales information and database management. Deneen began her Philip Morris career as a secretary and advanced to positions of increasing responsibilities. Deneen worked full-time and attended classes at night for 11 years to earn her B.A. in Managerial Marketing from Pace University, New York City. Deneen served on the Board of Trustees with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, New York. She appeared in educational videos for children, worked as a runway fashion model, and auditioned for television commercials. Her interests include ancient history, pistol target shooting, photography, and volunteering at her church. Deneen currently resides in Connecticut with her husband Tom.

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