They are often associated with snacks and drinks, but a vending machine full of drugs can save lives.
A review conducted by University of Cincinnati clinical psychologist Daniel Arendt on a self-help unit established in Cincinnati, Ohio, concluded that this could increase the likelihood of harm reduction.
The machine releases naloxone, which can be given as a nasal spray or as an injection to combat the fatal effects of an opioid overdose.
Other equipment placed inside vending machines include containers for sharps disposal (such as needles), safe injection and smoking equipment, pregnancy tests and bandage boxes.
Suzanne Bachmeyer, director of prevention at Caracole, an HIV/AIDS charity that participated in the study, said:
“Vending machines provide 24/7 ready access to life-saving and disease-preventing services so people feel empowered to take control of their health. People can’t be healthy or get care if they’re not healthy.”
Vending machines were installed outside the current Syringe Service Program (SSP) site in February 2021. Those participating in the project, which aims to help those with drug addiction problems, must register to get the machine’s code, which is transparent. for 90 days. After 90 days, people can apply again.
911 people have used the vending machine since its inception, the researchers said, about 16 percent of those who had never used harm reduction before. The machine will provide 3,360 doses of naloxone and 10,155 fentanyl test strips (which can prevent over-the-counter detection of the powerful opioid for other drugs).
The group’s most recent numbers show that 960 overdoses have been reversed using mechanical devices. More than two-thirds of the program’s enrollees also report finding fentanyl in their medical practice, which often led them to throw away their medication or use a lower dose.
More than 107,000 people are expected to die from drug addiction in the United States in 2021, and most of them up to opioids.
“I think it was impressive to see how much work was done right away compared to other syringe programs,” says Arendt.
“To realize how many people were out there looking for something like this or looking for something like this was really amazing.”
Although similar vending machines have been used in other parts of the world with good results, the US is working. Many cities and counties have begun installing naloxone dispensers in recent years, although drug safety experts want to see them used more widely.
The idea is not to condone or condone drug use, but to meet people where they are and offer preventative measures and other support. The researchers report that the vending machines dispensed more doses of naloxone and test strips of fentanyl than any other SSP in the state, while attracting people who had never used harm reduction drugs before.
Although regulatory red tape prevented the team from incorporating sterile injections into the system, even without it the experiment has had a huge impact. And while the system represents a smaller improvement in the distribution of harm-reduction resources to black residents than other projects in Cincinnati’s Hamilton County, Arendt says more work needs to be done.
“If you want to quit, we’re here to help you,” says Arendt.
“But if not, we won’t reject you and refuse to help you. We will work with you and help you do things that will help you stay safe.”
Research has been published in Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.
