Toronto spent $33,000 on branded stickers for crack pipes

The city of Toronto spent $33,561 on branded stickers for crack pipes and other illicit drug gear from 2020 to July 2023, according to access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The branded crack and meth kits were then handed out for free at a needle exchange run by Toronto Public Health, and distributed throughout the city’s shelter system.

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

Table: City of Toronto spending on stickers for branded crack and meth kits

In May, Anthony Furey, then a mayoral candidate in Toronto’s 2023 by-election, released images of city of Toronto branded crack and meth kits being distributed by a “harm-reduction program” known as The Works.

The Works was founded in 1989 as a needle exchange amid the HIV epidemic, but in recent years has branched out into distributing other forms of drug gear. The program is run by Toronto Public Health.

After news of the city-branded crack and meth kits broke, the CTF filed access-to-information requests seeking details on how much taxpayer cash had been spent on branding drug paraphernalia.

“The data below shows the number of kits given out at our needle exchange and includes crack smoking kits, crystal meth kits, foil kits and injection kits,” according to the records. “This does not include those given out through outreach, van or other programs.”

All told, 166,392 such kits have been distributed for free.