Gift cards for staying clean? A California senator wants to reward former meth users

A California lawmaker wants to reward recovering meth addicts for staying clean.

Under Senate Bill 888, proposed Tuesday by State Sen. Scott Wiener, some people would receive gift cards if they test negative for methamphetamine.

The idea is “to address the increase in meth usage and overdose deaths,” according to Wiener’s office.

Wiener, a Democrat, said in a statement the approach has proven to be effective. His office cited the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s PROP (Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project), which gives gift cards to LGBTQ men recovering from meth addiction.

“If we can avoid emergency room admissions by giving someone, you know, whatever it is, a $30 or $50 gift card to a grocery store or to a pharmacy for toiletries, that’s a major cost saver ... to the system,” Wiener told KRON-TV.

Under the proposal, California would pay for the program as part of the state’s substance use disorder services. The program would be available to low-income residents enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.

Participants in PROP can earn up to $330 in gift certificates, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The use of methamphetamine is a rising epidemic in California. Meth was responsible for more fatal overdoses than any other drug in the state in 2017, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 12,600 people died in 2018 in the United States of overdoses involving meth and other “psychostimulants,” according to the National Center for Health Statistics. That was up from roughly 5,000 deaths in 2014.

Wiener said in a statement that meth is sometimes used as a party drug and is particularly affecting the LGBTQ community.

The bill, which Wiener said would utilize “contingency management,” is sponsored by the City and County of San Francisco.

“Contingency management is an effective and essential tool in treating meth addiction – particularly given the lack of effective medical interventions – and we must expand access to it,” he said. “This is a science-based approach to treating meth addiction, and it’s time for California to embrace it.”