Opioid overdose drug distributors
Five of them will be deployed this week.
Vending machines must be able to provide people addicted to opioids with safe drugs, such as hydromorphone, a derivative of morphine.
Nova Scotia company rolls out five safe drug vending machines in Canada this week
to fight the opioid crisis in the country.
It is estimated that more than 15,000 Canadians have died of an opioid-related overdose since January 2016, more than a third of them in British Columbia alone. Opioids bought on the street often contain poor quality products
or extremely potent synthetic substances, such as fentanyl.
Dispension Industries, of Dartmouth, says its vending machines, which look like an ATM, can provide opioid addicts with safe drugs, such as hydromorphone, a derivative of morphine.
Users simply present the palm of their hand for a digital recognition scan. This biometric authorization
will then allow the user to obtain a safe dose of the drug.
Company founding president Corey Yantha wants to set up its vending machines by the weekend in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, London, Ontario, as well as Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
Mr. Yantha says the rollout follows a pilot project that began late last year in Vancouver's "Downtown Eastside",
an area that has been at the heart of Canada's opioid crisis.
to fight the opioid crisis in the country.
It is estimated that more than 15,000 Canadians have died of an opioid-related overdose since January 2016, more than a third of them in British Columbia alone. Opioids bought on the street often contain poor quality products
or extremely potent synthetic substances, such as fentanyl.
Dispension Industries, of Dartmouth, says its vending machines, which look like an ATM, can provide opioid addicts with safe drugs, such as hydromorphone, a derivative of morphine.
Users simply present the palm of their hand for a digital recognition scan. This biometric authorization
will then allow the user to obtain a safe dose of the drug.
Company founding president Corey Yantha wants to set up its vending machines by the weekend in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, London, Ontario, as well as Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
Mr. Yantha says the rollout follows a pilot project that began late last year in Vancouver's "Downtown Eastside",
an area that has been at the heart of Canada's opioid crisis.
