Free Republic

It's estimated that more than 107,000 people in the United States died due to opioid overdoses in 2021. Washington Post journalist Scott Higham notes it's "the equivalent of a 737 Boeing crashing and burning and killing everybody on board every single day." In the new book, American Cartel, Higham and co-author Sari Horwitz make the case that the pharmaceutical industry operated like a drug cartel, with manufacturers at the top; wholesalers in the middle; and pharmacies at the level of "street dealers." What's more, Higham says, the companies collaborated with each other — and with lawyers and lobbyists — to...

San Francisco’s mayor plans to put medical teams on the streets to distribute a drug that curbs heroin cravings in opioid addicts, an initiative he says will be the first in the country. Mayor Mark Farrell announced Thursday he will allocate $6 million for 10 new public health clinicians to provide the opioid treatment medicine buprenorphine, known as Suboxone, directly to users. Buprenorphine is a daily pill or dissolvable strip that reduces cravings and alleviates withdrawal symptoms. It also reduces risk of overdose. Video and photos of people shooting up drugs in public have gone viral in recent weeks and...

San Francisco supervisors chose a white man to serve as mayor until a June election, replacing the African-American woman temporarily serving in the position and infuriating activists in a city that is celebrated for its progressive politics but also has a dwindling black population. The racially diverse Board of Supervisors booted acting Mayor London Breed by selecting another supervisor, Mark Farrell, as interim mayor in an emotional Tuesday night vote. Those who supported the move said Breed, who’s running for a full term as the city’s top leader, should not have a leg up on the seven other candidates in...

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell Tuesday introduced an ordinance that would require firearms dealers to videotape all gun and ammunition sales and share ammunition sales data with police. The ordinance would require gun stores to keep all videos made of gun and ammunition sales for at least a year, and all records of ammunition sales for up to five years, according to Farrell.