Hypodermic Vending Machine - Poll

[darkglobe]

Hi all.

Despite the title, this poll is open to anyone! So please, share your opinions. This is a topic I have a passionate opinion about, but first I would like to hear what YOU have to say about it.

Before reading please note - it's not the location I am questioning. I am just questioning the general idea of needle vending machines!

Here's the article:

"Drug needle machine plan rejected"


Councillors have thrown out controversial proposals for a needle exchange machine for drug users outside a Conwy police station.

The planned machine - also rejected by community councillors in September - was recommended to be "conditionally supported" by officials.
North Wales Police had wanted to place the £10,000 machine in Colwyn Bay for use by registered addicts.
The decision was greeted by applause from the public gallery.
North Wales Police had applied for the planning permission on behalf of the Conwy Substance Misuse Action Team.
The machine would have dispensed clean needles to drug users and allowed them to dispose of their used needles in a steel bin.


But at a previous meeting involving members of two community committees, councillors rejected the plans saying the proposed location was inappropriate.
The idea was also attacked by drug treatment charity Touchstones12 who put an advert in a local newspaper to condemn the scheme.
The local authority received 30 letters of objection and a petition of 221 signatures.
When a needle exchange facility was set up in a pharmacy in the town in October, it was thought North Wales Police may abandon the plan for another in a Conwy Police Station.
The force said the purpose of the application was to provide a needle exchange service for the Colwyn Bay catchment area 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Help and Advice
A report compiled before Wednesday's planning committee meeting concluded the plans should be "conditionally supported", adding that CCTV would help allay residents' fears.
But the meeting heard many were against the scheme, particularly as a local chemist and a mobile unit were now providing a service.
Opponents said it was inappropriate to locate it at the station, near to a youth club and educational facilities.
It was also claimed drug addicts needed advice and help, which they could not get from an unmanned machine.
The decision to reject the application was greeted by applause from the public gallery.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...st/6248091.stm

Published: 2007/01/10 17:17:53 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Just to re-iterate: this machine will dispense new, clean needles, and a bin next to it will take in old dirty ones.
So the poll - Do you think a need exchange machine is a good idea? Please sahre your thoughts and vote in the poll.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Interesting

[MrG]

Absolutely it is a good idea, harm reduction in action.

Ignoring the ridiculous "but what about the children" nonsense (as if being an addict suddenly makes a person who has come to exchange needles want to run amok in a youth club or "educational facility" - whatever the hell that is supposed to mean), one can at least see how any addict "caught short" is not going to have to risk using a shared or old needle if they need one out of business hours.

It's all well and good for there to be a chemist and a mobile service offering both needles and advice but, for some people at least, they would just want to get the needles exchanged, not listen to some ex-addict-cum-counsellor (Little Britain stylee) to make them spend an hour waffling on about being a junkie and how they should kick the habit.

Some people are living with their addiction not dying from it. They just want clean needles, end of.

[Purest]

Honestly its a good idea, the government always go on about the harm from drugs and how to reduce it. Their idea of preventing harm is generally along the lines of "stop them getting the drugs" but seeing as thats really not worked at all at least the welsh police are saying "lets not let drug users get harmed by their paraphernelia" and personally I think its one of the better drug related ideas that have come out recently. Lets hope they open them everywhere.

[Alfa]

The idea of distributing clean syringes is good, but a syringe machine in public sounds bad to me. There should be some kind of overview of what happens with the syringes. And charging money doesn't sound right either. Clean syringes will save the state money on public health expenses. so money should not be a barrier for drug users to aquire syringes.

Reputation Comments on this post:

My thoughts too.

[darkglobe]

ALFA: I believe the syringes are free. There has been some confusion on whether or not the machine only dispenses once an old needle is deposited. I shall look into it, but I'm willing to bet the machien doesn't charge.

Well, that's pretty much my view too!

Damn you. I was looking for a debate

A few things:

-- LOL! These days even addicts have to be "registered". Nice. "No you're gonna have to use the old one... y'know with the rust in... you're not registered"

-- All addicts should be offered help. In my opinion even the stereotypical "steal tv's for a fix" junkies (they do exist) deserve help and support all the way, IF they want it.

-- Maybe the placement is a bit dodgy, but like MrG rightly said - the vast majority of addicts simply want a clean needle to shoot up with, no questions asked. There's nothing to say the kids will EVER have to see it. Also, the close proximity to local police officers should deterr any trouble.

I mentioned this to a few friends, and my fiancée. My fiancée (who abhorrs the use of any illegal drug) said the machine shouldn't be there. My instinctive response was "so you'd rather them die of AIDS and/or Hepatitis and/or increased chance of thrombosis?"

"Their own fault for being smackheads". And stormed off.

SWIM has never injected any drug, and personally will never do it unless he had a brand spanking new sterile needle and knew exactly what was in his "substance", but that doesn't stop me from knowing that there are many CASUAL heroin users who won't go to needle exchanges, for the want of avoiding that "ha you're a junkie" look that they get...

Christ I'm rambling again...
Well - that's me done!

[razorwiredildo]

The main problem i would see with this machine idea is that, at least in the US, that police may try to stake out the machines and use the purchase of a needle as grounds to search. other than that i agree with the idea.

[zera]

Christ if they tried this in the US, Mitt Romney's skull would probably explode.

[darkglobe]

No offence to your country or its people, but the UK really are much more forward-thinking than the US sometimes. NOTE: I said sometimes, so don't eat me alive!

Things like Heroin addiction happen.... maybe it's time people accepted that they're NOT going to stop it. IMO, there's no need to snub/ignore/look down on Heroin addicts just because you can't STOP the use of Heroin.

Sure: it's illegal; it's a dangerous habit; it undoubtedly does cause crime... BUT... why add premature death to that list purely due to ignorance and the "sweep it under the carpet" attitude some people have?

PS: Sorry if my views on Heroin addiction are slightly snobbish, but it's one drug I believe can never be used responsibly. Sure, people manage it, but too much of a good thing... It's a bit of a draconian attitude to have but I despise the use of Heroin. Even so, no need to let the users die of horrific illnesses just coz they can't get clean needles.

I dunno, maybe I'm blowing the whole issue out of proportion. Just the NIMBY (not in my back yard) attitude of people really sucks. It's there, you can't stop it, so deal with it.

Rite, that's my last word on the matter. Oh apart from this: sorry for my lack or worldly knowledge but who is Mitt Romney?

[Mint boi]

Mitt Romney is one of the candidates for the next pres election in America, right?

Darkglobe, while I don't agree with you're view on heroin, I see where you're coming from! I definitely agree with handing out clean needles, but vending machines? Imho that could turn out badly. Hypodermic needles can be dangerous, and I know that if a vending machine was installed near where I live you'd get a bunch of stupid little kids messing with them and someone would get hurt. A 24 needle exchange clinic is the best way to tackle the problem imho, but there are logistical problems with that i guess..

[Senor Gribson]

swim and a few of his friends used to be into body piercing when they were kids, and would rob needles from the doctor...
there are stupider kids than swim out there

[darkglobe]

Lostgurl's gonna get an air strike of needles when she comes online.... lol. Took me 45 mins of looking for this thread until I remembered to UTFSE!! Silly me.

I never thought of the risk to children, teenagers and idiots. The teenager/jackass factor is there, I suppose. I dunno... it's a bit mean but IMO a short, sharp "I told you so" will suffice when idiotic teenagers are concerned. But young children are a factor, too.

Damnit I'm starting to change my mind already! I can see why people are disputing it now. The NIMBY attitude has merit in some cases, I suppose.

The debate goes on... (well not here, it seems pretty dead, but in North Wales it's still a hot topic)...

[purplehaze]

Swim thinks it's a good idea, he also thinks they should just be free. Nobody wants a feign in a hurry carrying a used needle too closely to someone. What if theres a arguement and someone gets stabbed, pretty far fetched but swim would rather get stabbed with a clean unused needle. Besides that swim would also rather see users having plenty of needles, swim hates needles all together but the thought of a doctor injecting a used needle into him is just ludacris. When using needles, unused is the only thought to mind.

[MrG]

Doesn't the original article reference that the machine was for "registered" addicts? So surely that would mean they would need some sort of token or pass in order to use it, thus eliminating the concern about kids and idiots?

[doggy_hat]

Even if kids did figure out a way to get passed being a registered addict, I would just like to point out the fact that Livestock Syringes can be purchased at Farming supply Shops. So having a vending machine isn't going to make needles suddenly available to kids that want to use them for piercings, stabbing people, jackassness, etc. Actually SWIM had his nipples pierced with Livestock Syringes.