Syringe Vending Machines Installed By State

THE HEROIN EPIDEMIC ñ
CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT SOME
STATES HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN
HANDS AND CREATE POLICIES THAT WOULD HELP THE SPREAD OF
DISEASES AS A RESULT OF INDIVIDUALS SHARING NEEDLES.
IN NEVADA, THEY HAVE DECIDED TO INSTALL WHAT IS REFERRED TO
AS SYRINGE VENDING MACHINES.
THEY ARE EXACTLY WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE.
THIS IS TAKING PLACE SPECIFICALLY IN LAS VEGAS, AND
THE IDEA IS THAT ñ THE IDEA BEHIND IT IS THAT THESE
INDIVIDUALS ARE GOING TO SHARE NEEDLES, THAT THEY ARE GOING TO
SPREAD HEPATITIS AND HIV, AND THAT IS A PUBLIC HEALTH
ISSUE, AND SO WE NEED TO SOMETHING TO AT LEAST
PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING.
THEY ARE ACCESSIBLE TO CLIENTS OF A PROGRAM CALLED TRAC-B
EXCHANGE.
ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF THIS PROGRAM WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE
VENDING MACHINES, AND IN MY OPINION THAT IS ONE OF THE
DOWNSIDES, BUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IS KEEP TRACK OF THEIR
CLIENTS AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE GETTING THE NECESSARY HELP, BUT
IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF THAT PROGRAM YOU WILL NOT HAVE
ACCESS TO THE VENDING MACHINES.
DRUG USERS CAN SCAN A CARD AND ENTER A UNIQUE ID NUMBER IN
ORDER TO VEND ONE OF THE COLORFULLY GIFTWRAPPED
BOXES INSIDE.
I'M NOT SURE WHY NBC THOUGHT COLORFULLY GIFTWRAPPED WAS
IMPORTANT.
AVAILABLE AT THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS BY THE END OF MAY,
EACH CLIENT WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO KIDS A WEEK; EACH BOX
CONTAINS SYRINGES, ALCOHOL WIPES, SAFE SEX SUPPLIES, AND A
DISPOSAL BOX.
I THINK SOME PEOPLE THAT GET TURNED OFF BY THESE IDEAS.
YOU HAVE COUNTRIES LIKE CANADA ñ
LIKE CANADA, FOR INSTANCE, THAT HAVE DECIDED TO CREATE
THESE CENTERS WHERE IF YOU ARE ADDICTED TO HEROIN YOU CAN
GO THERE AND SAFELY INJECT IT, AND A LOT OF CONSERVATIVES
GET TURNED OFF BY THAT IDEA BECAUSE THEY THINK IT
ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO DO DRUGS, BUT I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD
HEAR ABOUT THOSE CENTERS AND THINK TO THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW?
I'VE NEVER TRIED HEROIN BEFORE, LET ME TRY HEROINE AND GOES
TO THE SENSOR TO DO IT.
IT'S ALL ABOUT SPREADING THE ñ
IT'S ALL ABOUT PREVENTING THE SPREADING OF DISEASES.
THAT'S ALSO THEIR ABSTINENCE APPROACH, IF YOU GIVE
PEOPLE CONDOMS WILL BE ENCOURAGING THEM TO HAVE
SEX, RATHER THAN ENCOURAGING THEM TO HAVE SUCCESS.
I LIKE THAT THERE IS DATA THAT SHOWS THAT PROGRAMS LIKE THESE
WORK, IN PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF DISEASES LIKE HIV AND AIDS.
AND I ALSO LIKE THAT IT IS
COMMUNITY-BASED, AND I WOULD BE
INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT THE CRITERIA IS FOR PEOPLE TO
REGISTER, BECAUSE LIKE YOU MENTIONED THAT MIGHT BE A
DOWNSIDE, BUT YOU CAN IMPLEMENT THESE SYSTEMS IN WHATEVER
COMMUNITY CONTEXT, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THAT PARTICULAR
PLACE, SO I THINK THAT THAT IS INTERESTING.
ABSOLUTELY.
I LIKE THE IDEA, I'M JUST NOT SURE THAT IT'S REALLY PRACTICAL.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
I MEAN, WHEN YOU WANT TO SHOOT UP AND THERE'S NO VENDING
MACHINE AROUND, WHAT DO YOU DO?
COULD YOU TAKE ME OVER THE VENDING MACHINE, I NEED TO
GET A CLEAN NEEDLE?
I JUST DON'T KNOW IF SOMEONE WHO IS REALLY DON'T THING, AND
NEEDS TO GET HEROINE IS GOING TO BOTHER GOING TO THE VENDING
MACHINE.
IT FEELS LIKE A REAL, LIKE A PROMOTIONAL THING FOR TREATMENT,
WHICH, WE ARE ALL IN SUPPORT OF, LIKE, INCREASED TREATMENT AND
ACCESS TO IT, SO IT KIND OF FEELS LIKE A SORT OF BRANDING,
SORT OF LIKE ñ
AND I THINK THEY ARE DOING THAT ñ
IT'S A VISIBLE WAY OF SAYING TO THE COMMUNITY, THERE ARE
PEOPLE AROUND HERE WHO NEED THESE NEEDLES, BUT MORE
THAN THAT THEY NEED TREATMENT.
THEY DO NEED TREATMENT.
I THINK THE PART OF THAT MAKES ME WORRY IS THAT YOU DO
HAVE TO BE REGISTERED TO THIS PROGRAM, BECAUSE A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE DISTRUSTFUL, THEY DON'T TRUST ORGANIZATIONS, AND
THEY DON'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT, AND THEY ARE WORRIED THAT THEY
ARE GOING TO BE ON SOME SORT OF LIST, AND IT COULD NEGATIVELY
IMPACT THEIR LIVES, WHETHER IT'S WITH EMPLOYMENT OR WHATEVER.
I THINK THAT TWO THINGS NEED TO HAPPEN FOR THIS TO BE
EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE YOU RAISE A GOOD POINT.
IF IT'S NOT READILY AVAILABLE OR ACCESSIBLE, IF YOU ARE AN ADDICT
AND YOU WANT TO SHOOT UP, YOU'LL PROBABLY GO AHEAD AND SHARE A
NEEDLE, SO THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE IT MORE
ACCESSIBLE, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE TO
REGISTER, I THINK IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WHO HAS
THIS PROBLEM.
AND I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THEY NEED THIS TREATMENT, THEY NEED
TREATMENT, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH POLITICIANS
WHO WANT TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
THAT MAY BE THE AIM OF REGISTRATION, IS TO TRACK
PATIENTS, AND THEIR PROGRESS, BECAUSE THEY DO SEEM TO GO
JOIN THIS WITH TREATMENT OPTIONS, OR REHAB
REFERENCES, SO THAT MIGHT BE THE POINT OF REGISTRATION.
BUT, AGAIN, FOLKS ARE VERY DISTRUSTFUL ABOUT
REGISTERING AND IDENTIFYING THEMSELVES AS DRUG USERS.
ANYTHING THAT DISRUPTS THE SORT OF TRADITIONAL SENSIBILITY AND
IDEAS ABOUT DRUG TREATMENT, AND WHO IS DOING DRUGS, IS GOOD,
BECAUSE IT CLEARLY HASN'T WORKED FOR MANY YEARS, AND NOW THAT IT
IS SORT OF REALLY TAKING HOLD IN THESE TINY SMALL TOWNS,
LITTLE TOWN NEAR OHIO WHERE
I GREW UP, WHERE YOU HAVE PEOPLE STRUGGLING.
PEOPLE ARE NOT PREPARED, AND THIS IS A KIND OF A STORY,
OR A PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY THAT GETS PEOPLE TO PAY ATTENTION.
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING.

Syringe Vending Machines Installed By State

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