Canada is providing paper straws and commercial grade foil to inmates in its federal prisons for what harm reduction advocates call “safer” drug abuse, despite existing rules prohibiting illegal drug use in lockups.
The straws are used to snort such illegal drugs as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, according to a four-page memo that went out to correctional officers, the New York Post reported Saturday.
The document, which the tabloid reported was posted on social media by an anonymous prison guard, said the single-use straws were intended for inhaling “substances in powdered form” or from “vapor” produced by substances typically heated on aluminum foil.
“Using paper straws helps reduce harm by lowering the risk of cuts or tears inside the nose when compared to homemade or plastic straw,” the memo said, as reported by the Post and other news outlets which jumped on the story.
The memo was issued by the Corrections Service Canada, which oversees 43 federal prisons. Besides the straws, Canada is also handing out aluminum foil that is “stronger and thicker” than household brands that can be heated from beneath for “safer smoking” — a practice known by drug users as “chasing the dragon.”
Prison nurses are even being enlisted to hand out the drug paraphernalia and to instruct inmates on how to use it properly, according to report. The items are scheduled to be made available within the next two weeks.
News of the controversial policy has gone viral on social media and comes “in response to increased inhalation, smoking, and snorting substances among federal inmates,” the memorandum said.
“As methods of use evolve, harm reduction measures must also adapt,” it stated.
But some Canadian leaders and others are critical of the move.
Ontario’s conservative Premier Doug Ford promised to prevent the practice in his lockups under local and provincial control.
“Under our government’s watch, we will never let this happen in Ontario jails,” Ford wrote on X.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre also jumped on the policy, writing on X, “This is exactly why criminal don’t get rehabilitated in prison.”
He continued:
The Liberal government helps them do dangerous, addictive drugs in prison that make them even more violent when they come out.
My solution: zero tolerance for drugs in prison. Drug criminals must undergo regular drug tests to earn release, and isolation for prison drug kingpins. Drug-free prisoners will focus on skill-building & rehabilitation so they can be good citizens on release.
Correctional officers and staff, who must deal directly with the inmates, called the move “delusional” and “absolute insanity,” according to the Post report.
“Who is in leadership? We can’t be the only ones questioning this. Why would they think this is okay? I want to believe this is a joke,” commented one in a social media thread.
Inexplicably, the same memo noted that illegal drugs are still forbidden in prison and use is subject to disciplinary action, even though ostensibly the government is enabling such violations by distributing the paraphernalia.
The straws and foil actually are less alarming than a policy in effect since 2018 where 13 federal prisons have needle exchange programs for inmates and offer injection sites where prisoners can shoot up smuggled drugs under the “watchful eye of a medical professional,” the Post reported.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. He is also the cofounder of Primary Purpose Productions, which made short films that inspire drug addicts and alcoholics to seek recovery. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
