No, the federal government isn't spending $30 million on 'crack pipes'

The Washington Post via Yahoo ^ | February 9, 2022 | By Meryl Kornfield and Mariana Alfaro

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Conservative figures have launched an online furor this week, claiming that the government planned to spend $30 million on pipes for smoking crack cocaine.

The heightened concern came months after the Department of Health and Human Services announced a federal grant for local programs that provide myriad "harm reduction" tools, or services that minimize the risks associated with drug use. Republicans seized on "crack pipes," causing the phrase to trend on Twitter on Tuesday, the latest in continued resistance from the GOP against harm-reduction techniques at a time when people are dying of drug overdoses at record rates in the United States.

“It's really disappointing that Republicans are trying to win political points by putting lives at risk and creating misinformation about harm reduction," said Jamie Favaro, executive director of NEXT Distro, one of the groups that applied for the grants.

[P.O.E.]

My first guess is 29.9 million to be spent on the office workers for this project (less, of course, the kickbacks and padding), and maybe 0.1 million for the actual crack pipes.

[Gaffer]

It’s disappointing that the Washington Compost can’t understand this “crack pipe” meme is NO DIFFERENT than their “injecting bleach to cure Covid” or “taking horse paste and dewormer medicine for Covid.” That THAT’s assuming there really aren’t some government-approved crack pipe substitutes in those “kits.”

[jughandle]

Let’s settle it and SEE these “harm reduction tools” we are funding.

[Drago]

“Officer Tatum” breaks it down here: https://rumble.com/vujrsa-bidens-crack-pipes-are-for-racial-equity.html

The Canadian version of “Safer Smoking Kits” definitely include crack/meth pipes:

https://www.interiorhealth.ca/sites/default/files/PDFS/handout-safer-smoking-supplies.pdf

And the Baltimore kits apparently did too: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/crack-pipes-is-where-we-draw-the-line-safe-smoking-kits-draw-backlash-in-aaco

[jughandle]

First I’ve seen of it, thank you. One could put just about anything, including crack, into the supplied “meth pipe”. Surprised the media isn’t pointing out it’s only for meth as their defense of the administration.

[Fresh Wind]

If the government spends as little as $1 on crack pipes, that’s too much.

[usconservative]

If the Washington COMPOST says the Government isn't doing something, that means the Government is doing exactly what they're denying.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Why the “lip balm” so prominently mentioned so often?

[Eagles6]

Somebody, who knows somebody that got the lip balm contract for $20 for a tube of generic chapstick.