It's nothing new. We used to have a pair smack heads regularly blazing on the steps outside our flat 25 years ago. They used to puke and spit all over the steps, making them treacherous.
MY missus used to clean the steps with bleach and boiling water, and one day she'd filled her bucket and as she opened the door, the usual suspects were sat there, foil and lighter in hand. The red mist descended, and she launched the water closely followed by the bucket. We never saw them again after that.
About 6 months later, we heard one of them died of an overdose.