Conservative Backlash Threatens to Sink ‘Harm Reduction’ Drug Strategy
President Biden’s focus on “harm reduction” in tackling the ongoing drug crisis, is in danger of being derailed by lawmakers in Washington who have introduced legislation to bar federal funding for “drug paraphernalia.”
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President Joe Biden’s focus on “harm reduction” in tackling the ongoing drug crisis is in danger of being derailed by lawmakers in Washington who have introduced legislation to bar federal funding for “drug paraphernalia” in response to reports that federally funded addiction treatment programs would distribute pipes for smoking crack cocaine as part of “safe smoking kits, reports the New York Times.
Harm reduction applies a public health approach to helping drug users stay safe rather than abstain. Now, Congress is also pursuing plans not only to bar federal funding for “crack pipes,” but to impose restrictions on a new program that would have, for the first time, allowed federal funds to be spent on sterile needles for “syringe services” programs.
However, there is no evidence that the Biden administration intended to pay for distribution of pipes. In addition, multiple studies have shown that distributing new syringes to drug users reduces the spread of blood borne diseases among drug users, including H.I.V., hepatitis C and lethal heart infections.
Harm reduction workers often try to steer users toward smoking rather than injecting, which poses a higher risk of infection and overdose. Safe smoking kits are often distributed by syringe service programs, and often include glass stems, which function as pipes, as well as lip balm, alcohol swabs, rubber tips and other items to protect against mouth sores and cuts that can spread disease.
Many addiction experts saw the political blowup over crack pipes as having racist undertones reminiscent of narratives used during the 1980s crack epidemic and proceeding war on drugs.
