According to SFGate, crack-cocaine sales have waned while downer pills are white-hot. It seems crack-cocaine, the Tenderloin'a peppy poison of choice, isn't as popular as it used to be. But it's not for lack of demand. Something called "Operation Safe Schools," put in place by Cheif Gascon, focused "on heroin and cocaine sales within 1,000 feet of schools," prompting a slight decline in crack's retail sales. Why? Well, "[u]nder California law, such deals come with a bail enhancement and an extra three to five years in prison." Since nothing rains on a drug dealer's day like an extra three-years in the clink, crack sales have dramatically declined.
Enter hillbilly heroin, AKA OxyContin, which costs an estimated $40 per pill, for a high that makes you itch like a bitch at a scabies party. Sales of Oxy are up on the streets of SF. Because unlike cocaine and heroin, however, pill hawking doesn't come with the mandatory sentence. So, it seems, the Tenderloin went from speedy highs to viscous lows. Mind your step while frolicking in the TL, folks.