Nope, but alcohol consumption was a lot higher, as well as domestic violence. And race-based violence. And opiate production hadn’t industrialized yet.

Given the public policy of the 50s, if the Sacklers had been around, I would imagine a much higher death toll and much more damage to the public welfare than the opiate epidemic of the 2000s.

Probably would’ve put the Opium Wars to shame.

There definitely was recorded incidence of this - Washington Square Park for example - but the main reason for the difference today was due to vagrancy and loitering laws, as well as 1930s Dust Bowl governance, that no longer exist for human-rights reasons.

Very easy to keep the parks 'beautiful' when you could just shift anyone undesirable to a prison, asylum, or skid row.

N.B. Littering also wasn't seen as a social failing in 50s America, so there's a bit of a juxtaposition there versus the contemporary reality.

From my understanding cities like NYC were actually in a really bad shape in 1950s and after compared to now, until around the 90s

Edit: actually, from what I find in the 1950s there was even ongoing heroin epidemics, in addition to gang warfare, and of course racial inequality

Good news! They aren't filled with used heroin needles today as well!