Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), today sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Beccera expressing his astonishment and deep concern with the Biden administration’s decision to reportedly use $30 million in taxpayer funds to distribute smoking kits and syringes to struggling drug addicts across America.
Inhofe wrote: “It appears that this administration is using the guise of “racial equity” to advance a harmful, far-left agenda that will only worsen drug abuse in our most vulnerable communities.
He continued: “It is imperative that this administration implement sound, evidence-based healthcare programs that produce beneficial results for vulnerable communities. Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars should be used wisely – and not on free paraphernalia that encourage illicit drug use.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
February 11, 2022
Dear Secretary Becerra,
I write to express my astonishment and deep concern with the Biden Administration’s incomprehensible decision to reportedly use $30 million in taxpayer funds to distribute smoking kits and syringes to struggling drug addicts across America. It appears that this administration is using the guise of “racial equity” to advance a harmful, far-left agenda that will only worsen drug abuse in our most vulnerable communities. I urge you to reverse this decision.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Notice of Funding Opportunity, the FY2022 Harm Reduction Program Grant includes funding for “smoking kits/supplies.” It has been reported that these kits could be used for smoking crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and “any illicit substance.” It should be obvious that this is a dangerous and clear misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Illicit drug use is a pressing issue facing our nation, ravaging individuals in communities across America. According to a startling study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, methamphetamine and cocaine use among individuals ages 18-64 in the United States increased by 60 percent from 2015 to 2019. Americans deserve programs with proven results to successfully reduce illegal drug use – not federally funded handouts that enable illegal drug use in their communities.
Government resources are best utilized on preventing drug abuse rather than enabling it. With these concerns in mind, I request prompt responses to the following questions:
- Please provide what, if any, data or studies you relied upon in finding the health of drug users to have benefited after being provided government-sponsored “smoking kits”?
- Has SAHMSA considered the medical impact of free “smoking kits” on recovering addicts and recidivism rates?
- What data or studies has HHS relied on or conducted regarding the impact to the rate of illicit drug use when the government supplies smoking kits/supplies in metropolitan cities and other areas where illicit drug use is high or rising?
It is imperative that this administration implement sound, evidence-based healthcare programs that produce beneficial results for vulnerable communities. Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars should be used wisely – and not on free paraphernalia that encourage illicit drug use. I urge you to reverse your decision to use federal funds in this harmful way.
Sincerely,