Canadian Prisons Distributing Paper Straws for Safe Drug Snorting

Canadian federal prisons have begun distributing  paper straws to inmates to make drug snorting more safe, finally addressing a correctional problem that had been allowed to fester without adequate accessories.

Correctional Service Canada confirmed that inmates will have access to biodegradable paper straws intended for inhaling powdered substances, along with heavier aluminum foil for smoking drugs, and testing strips capable of detecting fentanyl and other harmful substances.

The initiative is part of Canada’s Safer Substance Consumption Initiative (SSCI), which acknowledges that illegal drugs continue entering prisons despite rules specifically requesting that they not.

Gordon Pelletier, 58, a spokesperson for SSCI, who still carries a Blockbuster membership card in his wallet, said the agency maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward illicit drugs, although tolerance apparently begins shortly after the drugs evade security.

Under the program, inmates may possess up to two paper straws and three strips of foil, limits officials presumably arrived at after rejecting the unlimited-snorting option as fiscally irresponsible.

Prison nurses will distribute the supplies and provide information about their proper use.

Correctional officials emphasized that the straws are biodegradable, ensuring that whatever else happens inside Canada’s federal prisons, nobody’s cocaine habit will unnecessarily burden a landfill.

The paper straws are intended to reduce cuts and tears inside the nose caused by plastic straws and homemade devices, while the foil provides a safer surface for smoking substances.

Officials stressed that possession and use of illegal drugs remain prohibited.

At press time, Correctional Service Canada had not announced whether inmates caught violating the drug policy would be required to surrender their straws.

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