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Needle Vending Machines......

Better than drug users gettin HIV or other blood born diseases.

I'm not thrilled with the vending machine concept - I can see issues with that - but the idea of needle exchanges is worthwhile and saves lives and money in the long run
 
Just seems like enabling to me.
 
The difference between the Canadian program and this one is the Canadian program also



It's an interesting experiment, and if successful, once I would approve of, if the above is also provided.

It's a good idea. Some might call it surrender but it's just realism.
There's such a bad overdose epidemic down there, and elsewhere, that it seems like everyone who works for the city or the province has a Naloxone (sp?) kit, too.
 
I got a better idea: how about working to get people to kick the habit?
 
Just seems like enabling to me.

You can view it that way. I view it more pragmatically. People are going to do it. You aren't going to stop them - at least in the near term. It's better that if they're going to do it anyway that they don't get HIV with it's attendant personal and societal costs.
 
I got a better idea: how about working to get people to kick the habit?

Unfortunately we don't seriously do that and once someone is addicted getting them unaddicted is fiendishly difficult and has a low success rate.
 
I read a while back that the cost benefit of programs of free distribution of clean needles was highly positive in a number of cases.

I think that is when there is the consuling and rehabilitation efforts included. I don't know about the straight needle exchange.
 
You can view it that way. I view it more pragmatically. People are going to do it. You aren't going to stop them - at least in the near term. It's better that if they're going to do it anyway that they don't get HIV with it's attendant personal and societal costs.

Which is stupid. It's like saying "people are going to murder anyhow, you can't stop them..."
 
Which is stupid. It's like saying "people are going to murder anyhow, you can't stop them..."

If you don't give them free needles they're not going to stop, they're just going to use dirty needles. You aren't enabling anyone. You're simply following a cost mitigation strategy. Otherwise you
wind up having to treat people for a whole host of blood borne diseases at a significantly higher cost.
 
If you don't give them free needles they're not going to stop, they're just going to use dirty needles. You aren't enabling anyone. You're simply following a cost mitigation strategy. Otherwise you
wind up having to treat people for a whole host of blood borne diseases at a significantly higher cost.

I don't really care if they stop. I want them to reap the consequences of their actions. And frankly, I don't think we should be treating people who did it to themselves. That includes tobacco and alcohol-related diseases. If you don't have the cash or you don't have the insurance willing to pay it for you, drop dead.
 
I don't really care if they stop. I want them to reap the consequences of their actions. And frankly, I don't think we should be treating people who did it to themselves. That includes tobacco and alcohol-related diseases. If you don't have the cash or you don't have the insurance willing to pay it for you, drop dead.

I very much agree. It's not our responsibility to bail out people that have themselves in a nasty situation.
 
I very much agree. It's not our responsibility to bail out people that have themselves in a nasty situation.

In fact, doing so doesn't teach them any lessons that they very desperately need to learn. That's why stupid people exist. We've stopped volution from taking them out of the gene pool.
 
I think that is when there is the consuling and rehabilitation efforts included. I don't know about the straight needle exchange.

I think it was mainly to do with avoided contagion of disease.
 
In fact, doing so doesn't teach them any lessons that they very desperately need to learn. That's why stupid people exist. We've stopped volution from taking them out of the gene pool.

It has nothing to do with teaching or not teaching someone a lesson. It has everything to do with keeping the cost to society down. It's nice to talk about letting people suffer for the stupidity but realistically we aren't going to stop drug abuse tomorrow, or next year or likely ever given the abject failure we've had so far. Further we aren't going to not treat people who get things like HIV and can't afford to pay for it. It's just not going to happen. Since it's in our best interest to keep the spread of disease down and given the the above free clean needles is completely sensible and in the best interest of society at large.
 
It has nothing to do with teaching or not teaching someone a lesson. It has everything to do with keeping the cost to society down. It's nice to talk about letting people suffer for the stupidity but realistically we aren't going to stop drug abuse tomorrow, or next year or likely ever given the abject failure we've had so far. Further we aren't going to not treat people who get things like HIV and can't afford to pay for it. It's just not going to happen. Since it's in our best interest to keep the spread of disease down and given the the above free clean needles is completely sensible and in the best interest of society at large.

No, we're not, but we do no one any favors by making it safe and sane either. Society should not run to the rescue of people who do stupid things. Society should let the stupid reap the consequences of their stupidity. That we don't is a failure of society.
 
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