I'm surprised no one else has mentioned that the 'real' pre-ban absinthe doesn't have much (If any) Thujone. Scientists for the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry did a survey of surviving pre-ban absinthe and found that the had 33 mg/l on average. This is on par with new brews prepared according to traditional recipes. To achieve the even the 'No Observed Effect Level', The dossage at which there is no clinical signs of symptoms, of Thujone would require the consumption of almost a liter of ethanol. Absinthe gets you drunk, that's it.

J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 3073–3081
Crit. ReV. Food Sci. Nutr. 2006, 46, 365–377.
Clinical and experimental study. Clin. Toxicol. 1981, 18, 1485–1498.

Remember, always cite your sources

speaking as someone who lives in San Francisco, many of the homeless people, especially those on the street are on the street because of drug or alcohol abuse. There are plenty of services available to help someone who genuinely wants to improve their standing. But speaking as a person who used to give food, most often it's unwanted. I stopped even trying when I was assaulted when I offered to share my baugette with a homeless person at a bus stop. it wasn't the first time my food was rejected, just the first time someone actually attacked me. I do still volunteer at shelters, but as far as panhandlers on the street, I've lost my sympathy.