HHS and FDA argue that direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads have "distorted physician prescribing habits and patient decisions," citing estimates that the advertising drove 31% of the rise in U.S. drug spending since 1997, and that people who asked doctors for a drug they saw in an ad were 17 times more likely to receive the prescription.

"If one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that is one too many."

Advocates for immigrants and the homeless argue the city-wide crackdown has negatively impacted marginalized communities and simply relocated DC’s unhoused population, and Democratic officials have de...