A positive drug Policy Shift in San Francisco under the new mayor Daniel Lurie

Good news!

"San Francisco has long prioritized harm reduction in its drug policies, such as with programs to distribute on the streets free, clean paraphernalia for fentanyl smoking, no questions asked.

But the city’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie, says the city’s policies have become too permissive and will scale them back in an effort to steer more people into treatment.

“We are no longer going to sit by and allow people to kill themselves on the streets,” said Lurie. 

New rules starting April 30:

Paraphernalia can be distributed only to people who undergo lengthy counseling sessions.

Nonprofits will be able to distribute smoking supplies only in city-sanctioned buildings. 

Clean needles can still be provided on the street, and naloxone distribution will not be affected."

"“We can no longer accept the reality of two people dying a day from overdose ..."

Global Health NOW: Breakthrough Clues in an Mpox Mystery; Afghanistan’s Escort Rules Fuel Maternal Deaths; and San Francisco Rethinks Harm Reduction

Mayor Lurie Ends Distribution of Fentanyl Smoking Supplies Without Counseling and Treatment (official press release) "Following Mayor Lurie’s "Breaking the Cycle” Plan, City-Funded Programs Will No Longer Distribute Drug Supplies Without Counseling or Connections to Treatment and Care; Policy Change Is Part of Mayor Lurie’s Comprehensive Strategy to Save Lives and Get People Off Streets and into Stability, Which Includes Increased Enforcement, New Treatment Beds, and Unified Street Teams"

To bridge gaps or to solve disagreements in public policy and politics?

Lately, it seems it has become quite fashionable to use this expression "bridge gaps" (e.g. hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas) in in the media and public policy discussions.

However, solving serious disagreements is much more difficult than bridging gaps. Latter is almost a naive euphemism in defiance of reality! 

From Weber to Kafka: Political Instability and the Overproduction of Laws

Yes, the overproduction of laws is a serious issue in Western democracies!

Rarely, do our busybody, often lifetime, legislators spend time to remove outdated or overbearing laws. There used to be e.g. a reform approach like legislation with sunset provision that automatically expires laws unless the legislature upholds them by a new vote.

Something to ponder about!

Paper abstract:

"With inefficient bureaucratic institutions, the effects of laws are hard to assess and incompetent politicians may pass laws to build a reputation as skillful reformers. Since too many laws curtail bureaucratic efficiency, this mechanism can generate a steady state with Kafkaesque bureaucracy. Temporary surges in political instability heighten the incentives to overproduce laws and can shift the economy towards the Kafkaesque state. Consistent with the theory, after a surge in political instability in the early 1990s, Italy experienced a significant increase in the amount of poor-quality legislation and a decrease in bureaucratic efficiency."

From Weber to Kafka: Political Instability and the Overproduction of Laws - American Economic Association (no public access)

https://gratton.org/papers/WebertoKafka.pdf (The paper courtesy to one of the authors)