“Applicants for the grants are prioritized if they treat a majority of ‘underserved communities,’ including African Americans and ‘LGBTQ+’ persons.”
Those were the terms for the “safe smoking kits” that taxpayers are paying for for minorities under the Biden Administration equity plan.
While in the middle of Black History Month, the Biden Administration rolled out a grant program for “safe smoking” kits for the poor. Then, after the Washington Free Beacon reported that the $30 million that would be available for crack pipes, the Biden Administration had to backtrack.
The Department of Health & Human Services has since stipulated that federal funding would not be used for pipes in “safe smoking kits,” as part of a substance abuse harm reduction grant program.
But Snopes, a liberal fact-checking site, had already said the claim was “mostly false.” Even Snopes had to admit it was wrong.
“This newly-stipulated detail was not originally available, meaning the assertions made in a first wave of coverage had become outdated,” said Snopes in its track-covering explanation.
“This [Snopes] article has been updated after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stipulated that federal funding would not be used to include pipes in the safe smoking kits to be distributed as part of a substance abuse harm reduction program. As a result of that newly-stipulated detail, Snopes has changed its rating from ‘Mostly False’ to ‘Outdated,'” Snopes wrote.
Of course, Snopes didn’t actually admit it had blown the crack pipe fact checking. It was just giving the Biden Administration the benefit of the doubt in its initial rating of “Mostly False.”
But the claim by the Washington Free Beacon was anything but “mostly false.” It was the newspaper identifying the problem that forced the Biden Administration to change grant terms, but not before many liberals on Twitter defended the crack pipe distribution plan as a smart way to help addicts, one that supposedly has had proven results across the globe.
Read the fact-checking backtrack at Snopes.
The Free Beacon story is at this link.
The original terms of the grant are at this link.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra issued a statement on Thursday along with Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta:
“HHS and ONDCP are focused on using our resources smartly to reduce harm and save lives. Accordingly, 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. We will continue working to address the addiction and overdose epidemic and ensure that our resources are used in the smartest and most efficient manner.”
