[Editor's note: This article has been updated after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stipulated that federal funding would not be used to include pipes in the safe smoking kits to be distributed as part of a substance abuse harm reduction program. As a result of that newly-stipulated detail, Snopes has changed its rating from "Mostly False" to "Outdated."]
In February 2022, right-leaning outlets and leading Republicans reported breathlessly that the Biden administration had plans to fund the distribution of crack pipes in order to advance the cause of racial equity. On Feb. 8, for example, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said on Twitter that the administration "is going to be sending crack pipes and meth pipes, targeting minority communities in this country," calling the supposed plan "insane."
Crack Pipe Vending Machine Vice Definition
While the reporting around this document focused almost exclusively on "crack pipes," it could just as easily have focused on the infectious disease testing, naloxone provision, or even sterilized syringe distribution required of grant recipients. Disapproving news articles zeroed in on the safe smoking kits not because of the prominence given to them in the grant description itself, but simply because it allowed them to include "crack pipes" in their headlines.
In conclusion, the HHS document clearly stated that the purpose of the grant program was to support harm reduction services, and that one of 20 concrete ways of doing that was with safer smoking kits. It also set out that in pursuing that overarching harm reduction mission, it would prioritize programs which serve historically under-resourced groups. Subsequently, after this fact check was first published, HHS stipulated that federal funding would not be used to include pipes in any safe smoking kits.
Updated [Feb. 9, 2022]: Rating changed from "Mostly False" to "Outdated" and fact check updated after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stipulated that federal funding would not be used to include pipes in safe smoking kits, as part of the substance abuse harm reduction grant program.
The Crack Palace is made up of four floors, the "Security Area", the "Drug Lab", the "Ballas Lounge" and Big Smoke's suite. The building is used as a crack palace by allies in the form of security from the Ballas, Los Santos Vagos, San Fierro Rifa, corrupt LSPD officers and the Russian Mafia. It is a front to distribute drugs around the city, mostly crack cocaine, hence the name. Even though the building is blown up during End of the Line, it is still accessible after the mission, undamaged. A statue depicting Big Smoke's beta character design can be found inside the building. In Big Smoke's suite, there is a Sprunk vending machine and three "Go Go Space Monkey" arcade machines.
There is no evidence linking Bradstreet to the term 'old tom'. It is my belief that Bradstreet's cat and the term 'old tom' are coincidental and that 'old tom' originated in the 1830s in deference to the distiller Thomas Chamberlain (see 1830s). He did however, start the trend for what became known as Puss and Mew houses. Vendors would sit concealed within a premise and customers wanting to buy gin would say 'puss'. The vendor would respond with 'mew' and push out a drawer into which the customer would deposit payment. The vendor would recover the coins from the drawer and push it forward filled with a measure of gin. These human vending machines where found all over London and for a short period the subterfuge succeeded in stifling attempts to enforce the 1738 Gin Act.
The prohibition of this section shall not apply to light cast by (i) permanently installed outdoor lighting fixtures, (ii) headlamps on vehicles moving in normal travel on public or private roads, (iii) railroad locomotives or rolling stock being operated on the tracks or right-of-way of a railroad company, (iv) aircraft or watercraft, (v) apparatus used by employees of any public utility in maintaining the utility's lines and equipment, (vi) emergency medical services vehicles used by emergency medical services personnel or fire apparatus used by members of fire departments in the performance of their official duties, (vii) apparatus used by any law-enforcement officer in the performance of his official duties, or (viii) farm machinery or motor vehicles being used in normal farming operations.
Any person who enters, forces or attempts to force an entrance into, tampers with, or inserts any part of an instrument into any parking meter, vending machine, pay telephone, money changing machine, or any other device designed to receive money, with intent to steal therefrom, shall for the first conviction thereof be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and for any subsequent conviction of a violation thereof shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.
"Computer" means a device that accepts information in digital or similar form and manipulates it for a result based on a sequence of instructions. Such term does not include simple calculators, automated typewriters, facsimile machines, or any other specialized computing devices that are preprogrammed to perform a narrow range of functions with minimal end-user or operator intervention and are dedicated to a specific task.
9. Install or cause to be installed on the computer of another, computer software for the purpose of (i) taking control of that computer so that it can cause damage to another computer or (ii) disabling or disrupting the ability of the computer to share or transmit instructions or data to other computers or to any related computer equipment or devices, including but not limited to printers, scanners, or fax machines.
Any person who shall operate, cause to be operated, or attempt to operate or cause to be operated any coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine that operates on the coin-in-the-slot principle, whether of like kind or not, designed only to receive lawful coin of the United States of America, in connection with the use or enjoyment of telephone or telegraph service, parking privileges or any other service, or the sale of merchandise or other property, by means of a slug, or any false, counterfeit, mutilated, sweated or foreign coin, or by any means, method, trick or device whatsoever, not authorized by the owner, lessee or licensee of such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine; or who shall obtain or receive telephone or telegraph service, parking privileges, merchandise, or any other service or property from any such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machines, designed only to receive lawful coin of the United States of America, without depositing in or surrendering to such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine, or other machine lawful coin of the United States of America to the amount required therefor by the owner, lessee or licensee of such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Any person who, with intent to cheat or defraud the owner, lessee, licensee or other person entitled to the contents of any such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine operated on the coin-in-the-slot principle, designed only to receive lawful coin of the United States of America, in connection with the use of any such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine, or who, knowing or having reason to believe that the same is intended for such unlawful use, shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, advertise for sale or give away any slug, device or substance whatsoever, intended or calculated to be placed or deposited in any such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
The manufacture, sale, offer for sale, advertisement for sale, giving away or possession of any such slug, device or substance whatsoever, intended or calculated to be placed or deposited in any such coin box telephone, parking meter, vending machine or other machine that operates on the coin-in-the-slot principle, shall be prima facie evidence of intent to cheat or defraud within the meaning of this section and 18.2-179.
F. The provisions of this section do not apply to (i) a consumer reporting agency that acts as a reseller of credit information by assembling and merging information contained in the databases of other consumer reporting agencies, and that does not maintain a permanent database of credit information from which new consumer credit reports are produced, (ii) a check services or fraud prevention services company that issues reports on incidents of fraud or authorizations for the purpose of approving or processing negotiable instruments, electronic funds transfers, or similar payment methods, or (iii) a demand deposit account information service company that issues reports regarding account closures due to fraud, substantial overdrafts, automatic teller machine abuse or similar negative information regarding a consumer to inquiring banks or other financial institutions for use only in reviewing a consumer request for a demand deposit account at the inquiring bank or financial institution.
"Electronic communication device" means (i) any type of instrument, device, machine, equipment or software that is capable of transmitting, acquiring, encrypting, decrypting or receiving any signs, signals, writings, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems or (ii) any part, accessory or component of such an instrument, device, machine, equipment or software, including, but not limited to, any computer circuit, computer chip, security module, smart card, electronic mechanism, or other component, accessory or part, that is capable of facilitating the transmission, acquisition, encryption, decryption or reception of signs, signals, writings, images, and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems. 2ff7e9595c
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