Could vending machines be a viable way of providing injection drug users with sterile syringes that may prevent transmission of HIV and other bloodborne pathogens?
Yes, said French researchers who analyzed survey results from injection drug users who obtained sterile syringes from pharmacies, needle exchange programs, and vending machines in Marseilles. The syringe vending machines, introduced in Marseilles in 1996, are similar to coin-operated soda machines except they exchange used syringes for clean ones.
Researchers received completed questionnaires from 343 injection drug users who obtained sterile syringes at 39 sites, including three vending machines, during a 3-day period in 1997. Overall, about one third had never used the vending machines. But 21% used the machines as their primary source of syringes. Those who preferred the machines were younger and less likely to have been in drug maintenance treatment or to have engaged in HIV risk behaviors in the . . . [Full Text of this Article]
