Free Beacon Claims They Got Crack Pipes Through ‘Safe Smoking Kits’ After First Report Dismissed by White House
Screenshot via Twitter
The Washington Free Beacon is pushing back against fact-checkers and the White House after they dismissed a February report from the outlet that claimed government funding could be providing “free crack pipes” to drug users as part of “safe-smoking kits” handed out by substance abuse programs and harm reduction organizations.
“Yes, safe smoking kits include free crack pipes. We know because we got them,” Free Beacon reporter Patrick Hauf wrote in a Tuesday investigative report.
According to Hauf, Free Beacon visited five harm reduction organizations in five cities — Boston, Baltimore, New York City, Richmond, and Washington D.C. — and received crack pipes as part of the safe smoking kits being handed out.
Outrage first erupted at a February report from Free Beacon regarding a recently-announced federal grant program through the Department of Health and Human Services that is awarding approximately $30 million to programs aimed at combatting drug addiction. According to the report, free crack pipes could be included in “safe smoking kits” that would be funded by this program.
The White House quickly denied this, and numerous fact checks dropped calling the assertion false. Some reports, like one from USA Today, denied that pipes are included in smoking kits.
At a February press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called stories about free crack pipes “inaccurate reporting.”
“They were never a part of the kit, it was inaccurate reporting,” she said, adding that a safe smoking kit can include “alcohol swabs, lip balm, other materials to promote hygiene and reduce the transmission of diseases.”
Applications to receive grant money were due in February, and money is expected to be given out this month.
Hauf included images of the five crack pipes from five cities and wrote:
All of the centers we visited are run by health-focused nonprofits and government agencies—the types of groups eligible to receive funding, starting this month, from the Biden administration’s $30 million grant program.
It is unknown however if these specific locations will be receiving government grants or if the administration will deny money to organizations that do include pipes in their safe smoking kits. Psaki did say in the February press briefing that the federal government will not support indirect or direct funding for pipes.
