But - at the risk of sounding callous - why would someone down and out on the streets of the Tenderloin think, even if they completely sober up and clean themselves up, that it’s a long-term sustainable option to live in one of the highest cost of living cities in the world.
Ehm Berlin and Frankfurt are pretty much Europe and there's open drug use and selling on "sanctuary districts", same as San Francisco. On Frankfurt it's more blatant because it's right by the train station, but a little bit more nuanced than in SF because they have "safe drug use houses" so people don't do it in the sidewalk.
Europe understands that people are entitled to and deserve a basic standard of living. It largely explains why the EU has expanded eastwards into former Soviet bloc countries where people are much poorer. The EU as a whole takes an economic hit for that but it's an undeniable good for those poorer members.
Whereas in the US, people seem to be stuck in a 19th century "every man for himself" frontier cosplay.
That didn’t solve the problem in the least. It certainly reduces harm, but not drug use.
What would the mechanism be of Europe’s disintegration if the US pulled out of the EU today?
They’re there because of drug and mental health issues.
In Europe, they’re not tolerant of drug use on the streets. Even in cities where it’s decriminalized.
On the flip side, in countries with mass poverty issues and mass homelessness - the slums aren’t necessarily a place of rampant and constant drug usage. (You still see grinding poverty and families on the street, but it’s different)