Vending

Melbourne suburb blocks naloxone vending machine

EWY Media - stock.adobe.com

September 9, 2026

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A planned vending machine offering free naloxone has been blocked from a proposed site on Victoria Street in North Richmond, a Melbourne, Australia, suburb that has long struggled with opioid use and overdoses. Yarra City Council Mayor Stephen Jolly intervened by writing to Victoria Health Minister Ingrid Stitt, according to a News.com.au report, arguing that the location would further burden residents and businesses near the area's medically supervised injecting facility.

The Victorian government proposed the machine as part of the $95.1 million effort to reduce drug-related harm and expand access to treatment. The government plans to test 20 naloxone vending machines across the state through June 2027, with half in metropolitan Melbourne and half in regional or rural communities. Available around the clock, the machines dispense packages containing two doses of naloxone nasal spray, which can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose.

The decision has divided elected officials and residents. Jolly said he supports harm-reduction services but opposed placing the machine on Victoria Street, where businesses and residents have complained about public drug use, crime and disruptive behavior. Greens lawmaker Gabrielle de Vietri criticized the intervention, arguing that restricting access to naloxone stigmatizes drug users and could put lives at risk. North Richmond's supervised injecting facility has managed more than 12,500 overdoses since opening, but its location near a primary school and continuing street-level drug activity remain contentious.