Vending

Canadian city council rejects call to defund harm reduction vending machines

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November 5, 2024

Hamilton City Council in Ontario, Canada has voted against a motion to ask the provincial government to defund needle vending machines in the city, according to a report by The Hamilton Spectator. The decision came after a heated debate on the merits of harm reduction programs.

The proposed machines, part of the Greater Hamilton Health Network's three-year pilot project, aim to reduce the risk of infectious diseases among people who use drugs.

"I can tell you definitively that not one patient has started using drugs because of the availability of harm-reduction supplies, nor have they continued using drugs because of the availability of the supplies," Dr. Robin Lennox, a family doctor and addictions specialist who helped organize the initiative, told the news outlet.

However, some councillors expressed concerns about the machines, arguing that they enable drug use rather than address the root causes of addiction. Despite the opposition, the council ultimately voted to support the harm reduction initiative, acknowledging its potential to save lives and improve public health.