Feds Pull Trigger On Gift Cards For Drug Addicts

(TotalConservative.com) – The federal government just approved a study that will offer drug users in Seattle, Washington, gift cards for participating in a short survey about their drug use habits.

A recent report covered the survey study, titled “Get High? Get Heard” and is currently being funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the consent form, in exchange for participation in the study, the CDC will offer users who live in King County, Washington, compensation in the form of $45 Amazon gift cards. The survey takes roughly an hour to complete and states that the goal of the study is to gather data “on how drug use behavior changes over time” in order to “inform overdose prevention strategies.”

Potential respondents can enroll online where they will be asked to provide information to determine their eligibility, including their zip code, age, frequency of drug use, and which hard drugs they have used, such as crack, fentanyl, heroin, or cocaine. The gift card strategy to gain test subjects raises concerns that participants will simply sell the gift cards in order to obtain drug money.

Public usage of narcotics has become a persistent problem in King County, especially in Seattle. Researchers at the University of Washington even found traces of methamphetamine and fentanyl on public transportation in September 2023, and some bus drivers expressed concerns that secondhand exposure could be compromising their health while on the job.

In 2021, 398 drug-related security incidents were reported by transit workers in Seattle, and some of those workers reported that they became sick on the job from exposure to narcotic substances. Drug Enforcement Administration data also found that 1,067 people died in 2023 from fentanyl overdoses. Recent polls from Suffolk University and the Seattle Times show a shift in public opinion in the predominantly liberal city, with 60% of respondents believing law enforcement should arrest people for public use of narcotics.

The state of Oregon recently reversed its drug policy after overdoses and crime began to spike in its urban areas, especially in Portland, after police stopped arresting users of hard drugs due to a decriminalization policy.