Republicans blast Biden over alleged crack pipe funding plan

Republican Senator Marco Rubio severely criticised the White House over allegations that it plans to spend $30 million on providing crack pipes to drug users. “Biden is sending free meth & crack pipes in the name of ‘racial inequality’. There is no end in sight for this lunacy,” the Republican senator from Florida said.

Rubio’s remarks
come after US media reported that the Biden administration was planning to
provide crack pipes to addicts, as part of a new initiative. The plan, as
reported by Washington Free Beacon, is meant to curb the spread of diseases caused
due to drug-use through injections.

The White House, however, has strongly denied the claims that federal funds would be used to provide crack pipes. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it was never the intention to pay for drug pipes, and complained that any such impression was created by “inaccurate reporting,” according to Associated Press. 

Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra and White House drug policy adviser Rahul Gupta said, in a joint statement, “No federal funding will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits.”

Marsha Black, US Senator from Tennessee, has written to the department of health and human services articulating her “grave concerns” with the plan. 

Also Read | Joe Biden’s reported crack pipe scheme garners heavy criticism online

“Government-funded drug paraphernalia is a slap in the face to the communities and first responders fighting against drugs flowing into our country from a wide-open southern border,” the Senator wrote, reports The Independent. 

“If this is the president’s plan to address drug abuse, our nation is in serious trouble.” 

The plan seeks to fund safe syringe exchanges, opioid reversal drugs, fentanyl test kits. The drug overdose crisis killed more than 100,000 Americans from May 2020 to April 2021. 

However, the government’s initiative to fund the project with taxpayer’s money has triggered a scathing response from the republicans. 

Arkansas senator Tim Cotton tweeted, “HHS says that Biden’s crack pipe distribution plan is ‘blatant misinformation!’ but they don’t deny the report.” 

The $30 million Harm Reduction Grant is offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The programme is intended to help Americans struggling with addiction to stay safe and prevent overdose.  

Meanwhile, the United States Justice Department is going to take up the question of legality of drug-use at safe sites and what appropriate guidelines need to be adhered to.