This crack pipe thing: not a good idea.
The White House is having a really hard time spinning out of its announcement to use part of a $30 million dollar grant to provide safe “smoking kits” to drug addicts. As previously reported by The Drill Down, Press Secretary Jen Psaki has denied crack pipes were in the kits, but largely failed to acknowledge that previous versions of these kits —and these programs —included fresh crack pipes.
So the waters around this conversation are a bit muddied.
To ensure no federal dollars end up funding “smoke kits” or any other variety of drug paraphernalia, GOP leaders have stepped up with not one but two bills to prevent such an instance from ever occurring.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has introduced the CRACK Act. According to a statement from Rubio, “the bill would amend Section 2706 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2) to prohibit any funds from directly or indirectly purchasing, supplying, or distributing crack pipes or similar drug paraphernalia.”
“I am glad the Biden Administration acknowledges sending crack pipes to our nation’s addicts is a bad idea,” Rubio says. “It is pure insanity to think the federal government would fund crack pipe distribution. This legislation will make certain the program can never pay for crack pipes, and given the Biden Administration’s position I look forward to their vigorous support.”
The second bill, introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is similar in nature, but the congresswoman figured why not troll the Biden’s in the process. Boebert’s HUNTER Act would also prevent federal bucks for pipes.
“Our tax dollars should not be funding the death and destruction of crack addicts,” Boebert says. “Democrats are always putting the American taxpayer last and Republicans just want to give people in need a good job. Democrats want to give them crack pipes.”
“I like the HUNTER Act because it was a better acronym than Stop Paying to Subsidize Biden’s Son’s Drug Addiction act. That didn’t really flow. I think tax dollars have been on the hook for Hunter’s addictions long enough,” Boebert added.
