The Santa Monica Needle and Pipe Distribution is Harming Children: I Know Because It Harmed Mine.

Taylor Koutroumbis

Broken pipe that cut 6-year-old's finger

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The meth pipes are paid for by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health with direction from Dr. Barbara Ferrer. They are distributed by Venice Family Clinic, who are contracted by LADPH. The city of Santa Monica does not pay for nor distribute drug paraphernalia in the parks although they are allowing it.]

Yesterday, my family went on an evening walk. While on Lincoln Blvd, my 6 year old son tripped on a ridge in the sidewalk and grabbed onto a nearby planter box to steady himself. As soon as his hand hit the planter, he began screaming out in pain. To my stunned surprise, when he lifted his hand up, I saw blood streaming down his small fingers. I ran to the planter box to see what had caused this injury, and to my horror, I discovered a broken meth pipe covered in a foamy white residue, resting on the surface of the dirt.

Taylor Koutroumbis

Cut on child's hand

Panic set in.

We quickly called his doctor's emergency line. The police were called out. Reports were taken. Statements were made. Bandages were placed, and directions for monitoring the wound were given.

It was a big, terrifying, sickening ordeal and the truth is, it never should have happened in the first place.

The needle and pipe distribution program in Santa Monica is a cruel sick joke that is being used to prey on the vulnerable - not just vulnerable drug addicted people but also vulnerable children. It is not compassionate to homeless people to encourage and facilitate their drug use. It is not kind to provide the weapon that will inevitably kill the vast majority of drug addicted people. It is not right to commingle innocent children and addicts. It is evil to expose young people in our parks and city to communicable diseases and deadly drugs in order to support whatever stupid feel-good cause you want to campaign on.

Taylor Koutroumbis

Police report incident card

The truth is, in all likelihood, this pipe was actually provided by our city government. It was given away in our parks for free, and the addict who used it was encouraged to come back to Santa Monica for yet another hit.

SM Coalition

Used syringes and meth pipe, from SM Coalition video taken in Palisades Park recently

My 45-pound son should not have been exposed to drugs or diseases. A family walk should not have turned into monitoring my son overnight for intoxication. I should not have to explain to my small children that they can't go near the bushes because needles or glass pipes are handed out like candy in our parks, and careless people can't be bothered to walk to a trash can. It is heartbreaking that our city's goals and policies value the falsely-imagined safety of its drug addicts over the actual safety and wellbeing of the children who live here. What a sad sick place we call home.