WASHINGTON, DC —Citizens in the nation’s capitol have returned tens of thousands of free condoms given away by the local health department to prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted infections — because the condoms’ packaging doesn’t protect the condom properly, which renders the condoms nearly useless.Demand for the condoms is down a reported 80-percent due to the poor quality of the condoms’ packaging, with fewer people than usual taking the them from various distribution centers. People who did take the condoms told volunteers stories of the condoms — clad only in paper, rather than foil or plastic, breaking open in their pockets or purses. Additionally, the expiration dates on some of the Chinese-made condoms were illegible.

The city has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the country and the condom packets, emblazoned with the slogan “Coming Together To Stop HIV In D.C.” were meant to bolster what local, non-government organizations were doing on the condom distribution front but many organizations are just giving the condoms back to the city’s health department.

“We’re using them mostly for demonstration programs,” Cyndee Clay, executive director of HIPS, an organization that helps provide safer sex materials to sex workers in the city, told the local media.

Another group, MetroTeenAIDS, balked at taking the free condoms for distribution at all due to the non-standard packaging.

The city is seeing no problem with the condoms but, for some reason, is promising change in the future. For the next condom buy, they will be holding a “contest for new versions” of the packaging.