San Francisco: The View From the Streets
Watch the new trailer for Ben Westhoff's documentary
Last summer I reported on the open-air drug markets plaguing downtown San Francisco.
The DEA’s Special Agent in Charge walks to work every day past dealers openly plying their trade, amidst a drug bazaar sprawling into downtown tourist districts.
This summer I went back with a camera crew, filming for my documentary Antagonist, along with a pair of security guards.
We saw scenes evocative of Mad Max, such as a guy snapping a bull whip in the parking lot of a motel that police have ceded to drug dealers. But I was mainly there to talk to addicted users, to try to understand what treatment looks like in San Francisco.
There are three FDA-approved medications to fight opioid addiction: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. We talked to people on methadone and buprenorphine, and visited two of the city’s three methadone clinics.
But when it came to naltrexone — and its 30 day shot called Vivitrol — no one had even heard of it.
It doesn’t make sense. We’re in the midst of the worst drug crisis in American history (possibly in world history) and San Francisco is its public face. It’s one of the richest cities in the world. And yet, they’re not utilizing every tool in their toolbox when it comes to stemming this humanitarian crisis, which is costing record numbers of human lives and driving away hundreds of millions (if not billions) in investment.
My SF footage can be seen in this teaser for Antagonist, which is due out in 2025. I’m working hard on the film, but it is independently financed, and I need your help. That’s because I’m not accepting any money from pharma companies. This film is completely independent, and big money special interests are already sending me nasty emails.
Don’t get me wrong: This film is not anti-methadone, or anti-buprenorphine, which are critically-important treatment drugs. It’s an investigation into why naltrexone — often called a “wonder drug” — has been sidelined. Think of it as Who Killed the Electric Car? for the opioids era.
So please donate, like our Facebook page, or upgrade to a paid subscription on this Substack. I’m excited to get to the heart of a problem that has inspired a lot of lazy thinking.