Following outrage on the political right, the Biden administration said Wednesday that a grant program to help prevent additional harm to people who use illicit drugs will not pay for safer pipes to smoke crack or meth.
“No federal funding will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and White House drug policy adviser Rahul Gupta said in a statement.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said separately that was never the intention, complaining that impression was created by “inaccurate reporting.”
Monday was the deadline for service organizations and state and local governments to apply for a share of $30 million in federal money for “harm reduction” efforts intended to prevent disease, injury and other collateral trauma to people addicted to illicit drugs.
