Former 'Crack Mayor' Rob Ford's Hometown Makes Waves Again: Free Branded Drug Kits Distributed in Toronto

Once the home of former 'crack mayor' Rob Ford, Toronto has made headlines yet again due to its controversial new approach to dealing with drug use.

The city's Public Health Agency is now distributing free crack pipe and methamphetamine pipe kits, each featuring the city's logo, within community organizations and homeless shelters.

The kits are being provided by The Works, an outreach program that began in 1989 as a means of slowing the spread of HIV by distributing clean needles.

However, over time it has expanded its scope to include other drug paraphernalia such as cookers, acidifiers, filters and tourniquets for injection drugs, as well as Pyrex stems and glass bowl pipes for meth and crack cocaine users.


The move has been widely condemned by mayoral candidate Anthony Furey who released images of the kits on Tuesday, having reportedly been given them by whistleblowers within the city's non-profit shelter system.



He claims that homeless shelters across Toronto have been instructed to distribute these drug kits in order to transform them into consumption sites.

Furey has promised to shut down Toronto's network of safe consumption sites if he is elected mayor at the June 26th by-election and divert attention towards more effective drug treatment programs, including mandatory treatment when necessary.

The Works acknowledges that it distributes safer drug use supplies throughout the city but states that doing so requires a legally binding service agreement with adequate insurance coverage and a commitment to harm reduction models.

This indicates that while this may not be a widespread policy across all city agencies just yet, it could be something we see expand in the near future, especially if Furey wins the upcoming elections.

Source: National Post