Toronto's shocking priorities: lavish $33,000 spent on branded drug gear as addiction crisis soars

Anthony Furey Campaign

The City of Toronto has spent tens of thousands of dollars in the last three years on branded crack pipe stickers and other paraphernalia.

The hefty price tag of $33,561 for Toronto Public Health branded stickers can be found on crack smoking kits, crystal meth kits, foil kits and injection kits, according to access to information documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).

Toronto spends over $33K to put city branding on free crack pipe and drug use kits https://t.co/IUSv1n1AKn pic.twitter.com/n2WyIV1Mh5

— National Post (@nationalpost) November 15, 2023

“Each of the stickers on the kit bags cost $0.2017,” details the document, noting that a total of 166,392 City of Toronto branded kits have been distributed for free.

“Why in the world does the city need to spend thousands of dollars on stickers for crack pipes and meth kits?” CTF Ontario director Jay Goldberg asks. “This is a crystal-clear example of reckless city hall spending that needs to stop.”

Toronto mayoral byelection candidate Anthony Furey first released images of the City of Toronto drug kits during the campaign back in May.

Earlier this year, I sounded the alarm on how Toronto tax dollars are being used to distribute crack and meth kits.

Now we learn that 166,392 kits were given out over the past 3 years, and the city logo stickers alone cost $34,000.https://t.co/yDN3sahEiU

— Anthony Furey (@anthonyfurey) November 15, 2023

The kits are being distributed by Toronto Public Health, through a “harm-reduction program” known as The Works. The program was originally founded in 1989 as a needle exchange during the HIV epidemic and has pivoted to now include branded drug use kits.

Earlier this summer, Rebel News investigated a Toronto Public Health facility providing free drug paraphernalia and supervised consumption services.

Staff confirmed that there was no legal age requirement to obtain crack pipes and syringes.

While supervised consumption service sites are described as a “life-saving health service providing a hygienic environment for people to inject pre-obtained drugs,” data on fatal overdoses shows an increase since their introduction in 2017.