HYDE-SMITH COSPONSORS ‘CRACK ACT’ TO STOP BIDEN TAXPAYER-FUNDED DRUG KIT SCHEME
Measure Would Prohibit HHS Distribution of Crack Pipes, Similar Drug Paraphernalia
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today cosponsored legislation to ensure the federal government will not engage in the distribution of crack pipes or similar drug paraphernalia either directly or indirectly.
The Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits (CRACK) Act (S.3632) 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.
“The CRACK Act makes it crystal clear that taxpayer-funded crack pipes will not happen,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
“The Biden administration must really begin to rethink the many very bad policies coming out of the Department of Health and Human Services, this crack pipe and drug paraphernalia scheme being among the worst. The government should not be in the business of enabling addiction to illegal and dangerous drugs,” she said.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the CRACK Act after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week appeared to confirm that part of the $30 million grant program would go toward “smoking kits/supplies,” which frequently includes crack pipes. The Biden administration backtracked, prompting an outcry of leftist activist groups that argue “pipe distribution is healthcare.”
The CRACK Act would specifically prohibit HHS from using federal substance use disorder funds to procure, supply, or distribute pipes, cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale, or ingest narcotics.
###