New York City vending machine offering free crack pipes to drug users runs out overnight: report
By Bradford Betz
On June 8, 2023
The vending machine was unveiled amid historic highs of overdose deaths in New York City
A vending machine in New York City that offers free crack pipes, condoms, and anti-overdose meds for addicts reportedly ran out of stock overnight.
City health officials installed the big blue box in Brooklyn on Monday. By Tuesday afternoon, a drug-prevention program worker was spotted restocking the machine with safe sex kits and drug paraphernalia, The New York Post reported.
An official from the NYC Health Department told Fox News Digital that the vending machine has sensors that alert workers when supplies are low.
The Brooklyn vending machine is the first of four machines that will be installed in neighborhoods that data shows were hit hardest by the opioid crisis, officials said. The vending machine will be hosted by the nonprofit group Serving the Underserved (S:US).
S:US and other proponents have argued that providing access to such paraphernalia and safe sex kits will help reduce drug overdoses and the spread of infectious diseases.
An S:US spokesperson said the organization shares a common goal with the city “to ensure that the public health vending machine has a net positive benefit on the surrounding community.”
“Our outreach staff will continue to work closely with the community to ensure this tool is helpful in bringing New Yorkers into care, and supporting their recovery, as is the goal of all harm reduction tools,” the organization said.
Overdose deaths in New York City are at historic highs. In 2021, there were 2,668 overdose deaths in NYC, compared with 2,103 in 2020. In 2021, 84% of overdose deaths involved an opioid. Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, was involved in 80% of all overdose deaths, according to the NYC Department of Health.
“Our outreach staff will continue to work closely with the community to ensure this tool is helpful in bringing New Yorkers into care, and supporting their recovery, as is the goal of all harm reduction tools,” the organization said.
Overdose deaths in New York City are at historic highs. In 2021, there were 2,668 overdose deaths in NYC, compared with 2,103 in 2020. In 2021, 84% of overdose deaths involved an opioid. Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, was involved in 80% of all overdose deaths, according to the NYC Department of Health.
This piece was republished from Fox News.