SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Fentanyl continues to be the number one cause of drug related deaths in San Francisco. But in the majority of those deaths, the drug is mixed with a stimulant like cocaine — to make “speedballs” — or meth — to make “goofballs.”
Those terms aren’t new to those familiar with drug addiction, but the addition of fentanyl is. The deadly drug caused a huge spike in deaths during the start of the pandemic and there’s been very little improvement.
Drug addiction in San Francisco isn’t easy to solve, but it is easy to see. Tom Wolf is currently in recovery from drug addiction and says “speedballs” aren’t uncommon on the streets.
“The idea behind that is people use the stimulant in the hopes that they won’t overdose or die from using the fentanyl, or they do it because they like the experience of feeling both wired and down and out at the same time,” Wolf told NewsNation’s affiliate KRON4.
According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, “speedball” deaths are still happening. Officials say last year, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office reported about 400 people dying from unintentional drug overdoses with both fentanyl and a stimulant in their system.
Wolf said “goofballs” are made when fentanyl is mixed with meth and that the low cost of getting high is playing a factor.
“Right now you can purchase fentanyl on the street for about five dollars and meth is about 10 so for 15 dollars you can get your little mix and put it together and you’re off to the races so to speak,” Wolf said.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed made drug crackdowns a big part of her 2023 plan bringing in reinforcements from California Highway Patrol, the San Fransico Sherrif’s Office as well as the California National Guard.
“We have a great partnership with the federal government and the state, we are making the arrests. The U.S. attorney’s office has been incredible with the work and the support that they provided,” Breed said.
Wolf commended the mayor for her efforts from a law enforcement perspective. But with fentanyl deaths on the rise, he said the city needs to fund more treatment options for addicts.
“We need to ask them to purchase more detox beds, more drug treatment beds,” Wolf said. “Create a treatment on demand system.”
Wolf said that treatment on demand system will help get addicts into recovery the same day they ask for it. That was an issue when he first started his recovery process and also an issue today.