Fact Checker: Would harm reduction grants pay for crack pipes?

More than 70,000 Americans overdosed on drugs in 2019, with 70 percent of those deaths caused by opioids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

An increase in drug overdose deaths in recent years has caused the federal government to look at harm reduction, a strategy that seeks to keep drug users safe so they have a better chance of eventually kicking their addictions.

In a Feb. 15 news release, Sen. Joni Ernst ridicules a federal Harm Reduction Grant Program, which would provide nearly $30 million in grants funded by the American Rescue Plan to increase access to harm reduction services and support.

“When Iowans hear about the outlandish ways in which Washington wastes their hard earned tax dollars, I’m often asked if the folks making these spending decisions are on crack. Well, it turns out some are!”

Ernst goes on to say:

“As part of a new Biden administration initiative, ‘people who use drugs’ will help decide how to spend nearly $30 million of your tax dollars on smoking kits and drug equipment and supplies for other drug users.

“While the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initially confirmed crack pipes would be included, the administration is now attempting to backtrack, saying the pipes won’t be part of the deal.

“Regardless of the latest line the administration is pushing, the program announcement is not so crystal clear on if crack pipes will be included.”

Analysis

Claim 1: First, let’s look at the claim that the Harm Reduction Grant Program invites people who use drugs to help decide how to spend the federal money.

The 75-page document describing the program says an advisory council that will “guide program activities and project implementation” should include “people who use drugs, individuals in recovery, harm reduction service providers and other key community members such as public safety officers, mental health providers and treatment providers.”

The purpose of the program is to support overdose prevention, control the spread of infectious diseases, such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, and promote education and counseling.

So, yes, the program does want to include people who use drugs in decision making on how best to reduce harm among their numbers. Ernst gets an A on the first claim.

Claim 2: “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initially confirmed crack pipes would be included” in drugs kits as part of the program.

Ernst is one of many Republicans in Congress to highlight substance abuse test kits that would be provided under the program.

“Crack pipes for all. What could go wrong?” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted Feb. 8, USA Today reported.

Both Ernst and Cruz shared a Feb. 7 story in the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet, that cited an unnamed spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as saying the agency would provide pipes for smoking crack, methamphetamine or “any illicit substance.”

The Fact Checker emailed Free Beacon reporter Patrick Hauf Wednesday to try to find out more about the unnamed source, but had not heard back by Friday.

The Ernst team could not point to any other news sources that reported Health and Human Services would fund projects that provide crack pipes.

To the contrary, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta released this statement Feb. 9:

“ … No federal funding will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits. The goal of harm reduction is to save lives. The Administration is focused on a comprehensive strategy to stop the spread of drugs and curb addiction, including prioritizing the use of proven harm reduction strategies like providing naloxone, fentanyl test strips and clean syringes, as well as taking decisive actions to go after violent criminals who are trafficking illicit drugs like fentanyl across our borders and into our communities.”

When you weigh the word of one unnamed source against the head of the agency, it seems clear Health and Human Services does not plan to give grants to organizations that include crack pipes in drug kits. Ernst gets an F on this claim.

Claim 3: ‘’ … The program announcement is not so crystal clear on if crack pipes will be included.“

When asked for sourcing on this claim, Ernst’s team pointed to the 75-page briefing document about the harm reduction grant program. The report lists five types of kits that would be provided to reduce harm among Americans:

Nowhere in the document does it mention “pipes” or “stems” as being provided as part of the substance abuse kits.

Some safe smoking kits prepared by other organizations can include rubber mouthpieces, brass screens, lip balm, disinfectant wipes and glass stems — what some people refer to as crack pipes. Some harm reduction advocates say replacing broken pipes can reduce equipment sharing and passing of diseases, the New York Times reported.

Although the initial announcement didn’t specifically say pipes were not included, it didn’t say they would be part of the kits. We give Ernst a D on this claim.

Conclusion

In Ernst’s email to constituents, she gives the Harm Reduction Grants Program her February 2022 Squeal Award, referring to her promise when first elected in 2014 to make Washington big spenders squeal.

It may be a good way to highlight what she sees as a wasteful program.

“Folks, I don’t think most Iowans or any American, especially those who have endured watching a loved one suffer from the terrible pains of addiction, want their tax dollars spent conveying any message about drug abuse other than ‘crack is wack’ and treatment is available to help get your life back.”

Ernst, Sen. Chuck Grassley and other Senate Republicans have proposed a bill, the CRACK Act of 2022, that would prohibit use of Rescue Plan money to “distribute pipes, cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale or ingest narcotics.”

The problem is, Ernst uses bogus claims to make her points. Beyond one article citing an unnamed source, there is no evidence crack pipes would be included in kits provided as part of the harm reduction grant program.

Averaging an A, D and F, Ernst gets a D overall.

Members of the Fact Checker team are Elijah Decious, Erin Jordan, Marissa Payne and Michaela Ramm. This Fact Checker was researched and written by Erin Jordan.