On Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio lambasted the Biden administration for a $30 million grant program that will provide funds to nonprofits and local governments to help make drug use “safer” for addicts in their communities.
Included in the grant is money to purchase ‘safe smoking kits/supplies, syringes, and Narcan. A spokesperson for HHS told the Washington Free Beacon that included in these kits could be pipes for users to smoke substances like crack cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, or ‘any illicit substance.
The list and quantity of supposed “harm reduction materials” purchased with the $30 million grant include harm reduction vending machine(s), including stock for machines;
- Infectious diseases testing kits (HIV, HBV, HCV, etc.);
- Medication lock boxes;
- FDA-approved overdose reversal medication (as well as higher dosages now approved by FDA);
- Safe sex kits, including PrEP resources and condoms;
- Safe smoking kits/supplies;
- Screening for infectious diseases (HIV, sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis);
- Sharps disposal and medication disposal kits;
- Substance test kits, including test strips for fentanyl and other synthetic drugs;
- Syringes to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases;
- Vaccination services (hepatitis A, hepatitis B vaccination); and
- Wound care management supplies
“I know that sounds too crazy to be true. The Biden administration is going to be sending crack pipes and meth pipes, targeting minority communities in this country in underserved communities,” said Rubio on Tuesday.
“I know that sounds insane. I know that sounds too crazy to be true. They confirmed it yesterday. They’re gonna they call him smoking kits and they say it’s about equity, but they have an essence confirmed that they’re going to be mailing and sending pipes that can be used to smoke crack and meth to underserved communities in America.
“This is insanity. This isn’t even about liberal is about crazy versus normal, Insane versus common sense. Where does this end?” said Rubio.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is considering a reversal of policy that would permit people to use drugs at certain locations.
The Biden administration indicated that it could allow cities to open so-called “safe injection” sites, where drug users can use narcotics in the presence of staff who can react to overdoses, the AP reported.
The DOJ was considering regulations for safe injection facilities in the wake of New York City opening two sites in November 2021, the AP reported.
“Given your mandate to enforce federal law, I write to ask for your commitment to close these sites and prevent this dangerous plan from expanding,” New York state Rep. Nicole Malliotakis wrote in a Nov. 30 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, adding that she feared inaction would result in encouraging the use of narcotics and damage the quality of life for residents.
The Trump administration won at the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit against a plan by a non-profit to open sites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during its last days in office, according to Findlaw.com.
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the ruling last October, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Drug overdoses killed over 100,000 people in the U.S. during a 12-month period ending in April 2021, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention release, an increase of over 28% from the same period ending in April 2020.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Free Press.
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