[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

There was a Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode in the early 90s that kind of dealt with this. I think it was even a two-parter, so it was a big deal and obviously provided more of an in-depth look at this complex, multi-faceted issue than just a single one-hour episode would have

The crew somehow got sent back in time to San Francisco in the 2020s <?> and a huge district of the city was walled off Escape From New York-style. It started out with free housing, social supports, and as I recall it began as a well-intentioned initiative to get people back on their feet, but basically became what you would call a "not so bad concentration camp." I think it even had a fluffy name like Paradise City

This guy named Graham Bell died after the ship landed on him after it was flung/sucked/blown across time (ding-dong, hello Wizard of Oz?), so Captain Sisko had to pretend to be him because Bell was an important historical figure. Then there was a riot led by Bell and *poof* all the problems of the day were solved network TV style when the rest of society were made aware of what was going on inside the concentration camp. Anyway . . .

I can't remember if there was a drug epidemic going on, but I think it's pretty safe to assume there was

Ya, in the writers room.