Take it from a former meth addict, San Francisco needs to ban torch lighters

San Francisco Chronicle​

10-08-2025

In the heart of our vibrant city, a subtle yet destructive force is fueling the drug epidemic so evident on San Francisco's streets: the widespread availability of disposable torch lighters.
Take a walk in the Tenderloin or the South of Market neighborhood, and you're almost certain to see the lighters in use by people smoking crystal methamphetamine.
Unlike traditional lighters, disposable torch lighters produce a concentrated, high-temperature flame that is remarkably resistant to wind. This particular characteristic makes them ideal for vaporizing substances like crystal methamphetamine in glass pipes, even in the most exposed outdoor environments.
For those struggling with addiction and homelessness, this convenience translates directly into the ability to consume drugs virtually anywhere, at any time, with minimal impediment. The result is a disturbing proliferation of open drug use on our streets, contributing to an environment that feels increasingly unsafe and unpleasant for all.
My personal journey gives me a unique perspective on this issue. After 15 years of addiction to meth, in 2024, I was arrested and spent 18 days in San Francisco County Jail at 850 Bryant St. From there, I began attending 12-step meetings at First Unitarian Universalist Church on Franklin Street and have been clean for the past 14 months. I understand firsthand the insidious ways addiction can take hold and thrive, particularly when the tools for drug use are so readily available.
When I first started smoking, I used a refillable torch canister that belonged to a fellow user. But when that wasn't available, I remember trying to use a Bic lighter and burning my thumb, frustrated that I didn't have the right tool.
What policymakers may not grasp — because they haven't lived it — is that the physics of disposable torch lighters are helping to fuel the smoking of meth. I suspect that for many, as it was for me, the arrival of these convenient, perfectly tailored lighters helped slide us into deeper addiction. It's from this place of lived experience and hard-won recovery that I advocate so passionately for businesses and local leaders to do something that could have an impact.
I've made multiple visits to convenience stores in the city, where I've engaged local shopkeepers, urging them to voluntarily cease sales of disposable torch lighters. It's especially frustrating that many of these stores also sell glass pipes and tinfoil alongside torch lighters, giving meth users one-stop convenience. But for many shopkeepers who take the point that the lighters they're selling facilitate the smoking of meth, economic survival seems to trump all else.
To their credit, some business owners in the city have, on principle, refused to sell these lighters, recognizing the detrimental impact they have on the community. For example, Salem Grocery on Geary Street in the Tenderloin refuses to sell them. These businesses deserve our unwavering support and commendation. Yet finding torch lighters is by no means difficult. Right across the street from Salem Grocery, for instance, Woerner's Liquors still sells them.
The vast majority of store clerks I've spoken to invariably respond to my request to pull the lighters from shelves with a question like, 'Is there a law?' or 'What about the other stores?'
When I note that doing so would be voluntary on their part, I often hear responses like, 'I'm a business. I'm going to do what my competitors do.'
To me, this is evidence that it's time for San Francisco to take a stand and prohibit the sale of disposable torch lighters.
A ban would level the playing field for all businesses, ensuring that no single shop is disadvantaged for choosing to act responsibly. It sends an unequivocal message that the city is serious about reducing the public visibility of drug use and, by extension, creating a less attractive scenario for drug users to congregate.
Of course, outlawing these lighters won't alone solve the issue of drug addiction. To do so requires a multifaceted approach, including robust treatment programs, mental health services and housing initiatives.
But a ban on the sale of cheap torch lighters is a crucial tool in a larger harm-reduction strategy in a city where nearly 700 people have died since the beginning of 2024 from drug overdoses. It would disrupt the accessibility that facilitates open-air drug consumption and make it less convenient to use drugs publicly, and that's a good place to start.
This is not about punishing individuals; it is about reclaiming our city, one responsible policy at a time.
Born in the Bay Area, Pete Sherman has lived in San Francisco since 2002, working in the events and hospitality industry. He is a grateful recovering addict with over one year clean and serene.