According to reports, the Joe Biden administration will provide crack pipes to addicts in the coming months as part of a new initiative.

Also read: Joe Biden administration to provide crack pipes to drug users for ‘racial equity’: report

The Washington Free Beacon says that the government has approved a $30 million grant programme for safe drug use, which closed applications on Monday.

The move invited a slew of criticisms, with many people taking to Twitter to voice their take on the matter.

The Department of Health and Human Services expects that providing smoking pipes to drug users will encourage them to cease using injections, which pose a significantly higher risk of infection than drug usage through smoking pipes.

The new programme will also focus on “advancing racial equity,” with priority given to applicants serving “underserved communities,” such as African Americans and the LGBTQ+ community.

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The news comes just hours after the US Department of Justice told the Associated Press that it was “evaluating” the potential of allowing heroin and other narcotics users to use “safe injection sites,” and that it was in conversation with regulators about “approprite guardrails.” If legalised, safe injection facilities would provide a secure sanctuary for drug users and safeguard them from fatal overdoses.