Biden admin backs 'harm reduction groups' that give free drug paraphernalia to addicts

President Biden and his administration have expressed support for providing free drug paraphernalia to fentanyl and other illicit drug users, an effort made feasible by controversial harm reduction groups that believe supplying addicts with clean smoking gear would reduce overdose deaths by eliminating injection methods.



However, a study released in February by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that smoking fentanyl was increasingly linked to overdose deaths in 27 states and Washington, DC. Researchers found that 74 percent of overdose deaths were linked to smoking fentanyl, while fentanyl overdose deaths through injection plummeted.

The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration has embraced the approach of harm reduction groups, despite the fact that these groups have received widespread criticism, and their efforts, which have failed to create significant positive outcomes, have been banned in numerous jurisdictions.

Critics of harm reduction groups believe supplying addicts with free drug paraphernalia only enables their addictions, and think alternative methods such as rehabilitation and therapy are better options. Those who favor harm reduction measures believe that providing clean drug equipment to users, such as smoke pipes and needles, and creating so-called "safe injection sites," would prevent overdose deaths and the spread of infections caused by sharing needles. However, their methods have been proven as failed experiments.

The US opioid epidemic has killed more than one million Americans since the CDC began collecting data in 1999. That number continues to rise and lawmakers, mostly in Democrat-run cities, have struggled to adopt impactful legislation that could help solve the crisis.

Biden's Department of Health and Human Services first touted harm reduction groups in February of 2022 and announced that these agencies could apply for federal funding via the form of grants. The move garnered criticism after a Free Beacon report revealed that Biden's HHS told their publication that crack pipes would be included in the harm reduction kits at the cost of taxpayers, which is paraphernalia that is typically included in these kits. However, the Biden admin denied the claim following extreme backlash, but they did share immense support for safe injection sites.

Some of the most progressive states in America, such as Oregon, Washington, and California, have adopted harm-reduction policies but have since vacated some of them after they ended up exacerbating the drug problem.