In twenty-five years, nearly 700,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses. Some states, more affected than others, are looking for ways to combat this unprecedented health crisis. In western Massachusetts (United States), the small town of North Adams is known to New Yorkers for its calm. But recently, it was an unusual distributor installed in the city that got people talking.
In front of the Berkshire Harm Reduction center, which aims to reduce the effects of drug use, chips and candy were swapped for syringes and Narcan, a naloxone-based nasal spray used to resuscitate a victim. overdose. An NPR article describes the operation of this distributor and the reception given to it.
Decorated with small colorful triangles, the dispenser offers items like condoms and other products for healthy sexuality. The machine is especially debated concerning certain of its items linked to drug consumption such as syringes, pipes for smoking crack or even methamphetamine. These products are only available to Berkshire Harm Reduction patients who have a special code.
The distributor was installed in August. It is seen as a new strategy in drug management policy in the United States, known as “Harm Reduction”, which emphasizes compassion and care rather than criminalization and sentencing. The first distributor of this kind appeared in 2017, in the state of Nevada. Since then, the company Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, which manufactures the machines, claims to have sold hundreds of them in at least thirty-five American states.
“You should let them die”
If the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has invested in fourteen distributors in 2023, only the one at Berkshire Harm Reduction in North Adams is used. This latency is notably due to protests. In some municipalities, residents and business owners fear that the machines will lead to an increase in public drug use and the amount of needle waste.
Unfounded fears according to John Batiste, Washington State Patrol Chief and co-chair of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police: “The people who use the machines are already using drugs. So I don’t see how that would encourage consumption.”
In North Adams, too, Police Chief Mark Bailey acknowledges there is opposition. Regarding Narcan, which helps save people from overdoses, he often hears: “Why give them Narcan? You should let them die.” For the police chief, “It’s just ignorance, people who don’t feel concerned or who haven’t had a loved one addicted to drugs.”
When Berkshire Harm Reduction installed its vending machine, prevention program manager Sarah DeJesus came up with a strategy: She made the vending machine unavailable when the center was open, so people using the machine would come inside. . Those wishing permanent access to the distributor must re-register regularly with the clinic: “They need to come, get back in touch with us and reactivate their code. We take the opportunity to discuss what they consume and their situation.” The code applies to pipes and syringes, but anyone can get Narcan to save lives.
Source: www.slate.fr
