The State - News from Feb. 22, 1989

San Francisco is losing the battle against crack cocaine, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which spent two months investigating the problem. Several city agencies are devoting a majority of their time and money to the crime, health and social problems created by the highly potent drug. Last year, San Francisco spent about $72 million battling crack, an amount that was nearly three times the general fund expenditure for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the newspaper said. Among other statistics, the newspaper found that 61% of felony cases filed last year by the San Francisco district attorney involved possession or sale of the drug, and 77% of foster care cases handled by the Department of Social Services involved parents addicted to crack.