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Committee holds wide‑ranging hearing on a Zurich‑style "four pillars" strategy for public drug use and overdose prevention
Summary
A full hearing considered the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s report on Zurich’s 4‑pillars approach (prevention, harm reduction, treatment, enforcement), testimony from doctors and city departments, and the costs and legal questions around supervised consumption sites; the committee filed the hearing record for follow‑up.
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee convened a multi‑hour hearing May 15 to examine a comprehensive “four pillars” strategy — prevention, harm reduction, treatment and enforcement — for addressing open‑air drug markets, public drug use and overdose deaths in San Francisco.
Chair Jackie Fielder opened the hearing and cited rising overdose fatalities citywide; Supervisor Matt Dorsey and other cosponsors framed the hearing as a search for pragmatic, evidence‑based approaches. The Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) summarized a November report that compared Zurich’s multi‑agency program and performed a cost‑benefit analysis of supervised consumption (safe consumption) sites if one were opened in San Francisco. BLA analyst Fred Brusseau and colleague Terry Feeley presented slides and summarized findings.
Key points from the BLA and medical witnesses: - Zurich’s “four pillars” model combined prevention, harm reduction (including supervised consumption sites), treatment and law…
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