U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Tim Scott (R-SC) recently joined several of their Republican colleagues in introducing legislation to amend the federal program for local substance use disorder services.
Specifically, the Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits (CRACK) Act of 2022, S. 3632, which Sens. Capito and Scott cosponsored on Feb. 10 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), would amend the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to prohibit any funds from directly or indirectly purchasing, supplying or distributing crack pipes or similar drug paraphernalia.
“I never thought I’d have to cosponsor a bill to prevent the U.S. government from handing out pipes and illegal drug paraphernalia, but here we are,” Sen. Capito said. “This is what can happen when you rush a $2 trillion ‘rescue package’ through Congress without regular order, committee work, or bipartisan input, and it’s one of the many reasons I voted against the partisan American Rescue Plan.
“I hope the administration realizes federal resources would be better spent actually addressing the addiction crisis, like securing our border to stop the flow of deadly drugs into our communities,” she added.
If enacted, S. 3632 would prohibit funding amounts made available under Section 2706 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to be used “to procure, supply or distribute pipes, cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale or ingest narcotics,” according to the text of the bill.
“The thought of taxpayer money funding crack pipe distributions could not be more ludicrous,” said Sen. Scott. “But after a year of ludicrous policies and conflicting statements from the Biden administration, Republicans are leaving nothing up to chance.”
Sen. Scott said that S. 3632 will “ensure our federal government does not fuel dangerous drug addictions at the expense of American taxpayers.”
Among the 13 other original cosponsors of the bill are U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and John Thune (R-SD).