Canada introduces paper straws and stronger foil to reduce drug-snorting injuries in federal prisons

Correctional Service Canada has issued a four-page directive to staff in its 43 federal prisons, authorising the provision of biodegradable paper straws and reinforced aluminum foil to inmates who use illicit drugs. The supplies are intended to lower the chance of cuts or tears inside the nose compared with makeshift or plastic straws, and to offer a safer surface for smoking powdered or vaporised substances. Prison nurses will distribute the items and provide brief instruction, allowing each inmate to keep up to two straws and three foil strips in their cell.

The policy follows a 2025 correctional report indicating that roughly 20% of male prisoners snort drugs and 24% smoke them, prompting officials to adapt harm-reduction tactics. Opposition figures such as Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre have publicly denounced the plan, arguing it facilitates drug use in custody. The memo reiterates that illegal drugs remain prohibited and subject to disciplinary action, even as the program expands existing needle-exchange services in several federal facilities.