NYC unveils first FREE safe drug-use vending machine
Surprise, surprise! NYC’s first ‘safe drug and sex’ vending machine giving out free crack pipes, condoms and Narcan is already EMPTY less than 24 hours after it was installed
- The machine’s contents are free for residents who punch in the right zip code
- They offer safe smoking kits with pipes, lip balm and mouthpieces
- Unveiled just yesterday, all of the crack pipes had been taken by Tuesday morning
New York City’s first public health vending machine giving out free crack pipes, condoms and Narcan, an overdose-reversing drug, is already empty less than 24 hours after being unveiled by officials.
The machine in Brownsville, Brooklyn, is the first of its kind in the Big Apple. The city’s Democrats hailed it as a watershed, public health moment yesterday, calling a press conference to tout their initiative and promise more down the line.
To access the machine’s contents, residents simply need to punch in the right zip code. Then, they’ll have free access to the strips, Narcan, condoms, tampons, nicotine-gum, first aid kits and the ‘safer smoking kits’, sanitary pads, Vitamin C and COVID-19 tests.
Officials hope to put syringes in the next ones.
By 9am on Tuesday – less than 24 hours after it was first displayed – all of the crackpipes had been taken.
Gone too were the condoms, the COVID-tests and the nicotine-gum. All that was left were a few fentanyl-testing strips.
All gone! The vending machine, that was installed just yesterday, was empty by Tuesday morning
Fully stocked 24 hours ago: New York City officials yesterday proudly unveiled their latest offering to residents – a free, safe drug-use vending machine dishing out crack pipes, the overdose-reversing drug Narcan and fentanyl test strips
First aid kits containing Narcan and nasal spray are also on offer for free
A ‘safer smoking kit’ containing a heavy stem, mouthpiece, pusher, 6 screens, chore filter and lip balm for people wanting to smoke crack
The kits, produced by SmokeWorksPipes.com, contain a ‘heavy stem, mouthpiece, pusher, 6 screens, chore filter and lip balm’.
While this machine doesn’t contain them, NYC officials say they’ll add syringes soon.
They may be free for residents – but each machine will cost the city $11,000. It’s unclear how many are planned.
‘We are in the midst of an overdose crisis in our city, which is taking a fellow New Yorker from us every three hours and is a major cause of falling life expectancy in NYC,’ health commissioner Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said proudly yesterday.
‘But we will continue to fight to keep our neighbors and loved ones alive with care, compassion and action.
‘We’ll leave no stone unturned until we reverse the trends in opioid-related deaths in our city.’
Out of luck: Residents visited the machine today but couldn’t find the item they were hoping for
Elan Quashie, the Opioid Overdose Prevention Program Director, gave a demo to locals yesterday
Rose Meredith uses a new vending machine in Brooklyn that will dispense fentanyl test strips and naloxone as well as hygiene kits, maxi pads, Vitamin C, and COVID-19 tests
Safe smoking kits, first aid kits, condoms, fentanyl test strips and Narcan are all on offer for free
But some city residents and Republicans are aghast that their tax dollars are being spent on facilitating drug use.
‘This, my friends, is another reason Democratic-run cities are hell holes!’ said one.
‘Get your free crack pipes courtesy of tax payers!! Insanity!!! NYC vending machine offers free Narcan, drug-test strips.’
‘What could go wrong?’ said another.
‘I guess no one eats candy bars anymore… Remember when Narcan was supposed to be used only by trained professionals?’ asked another jaded New Yorker.
‘These people are morons. They give away crack pipes, needles will be next, and Narcan.
‘How about just give away the Narcan and not the crack pipe and needles? another fumed.
Outrage: Many New Yorkers called it a waste of tax dollars
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