The world's first drug dispenser installed

In 2016, the opioid crisis began in Canada, as a result of which people were massively killed. The fact is that then

fentanyl and carfentanil appeared on the black market- powerful opioid painkillers. Trying to solve the problem, the Vancouver authorities installed an apparatus for issuing safe doses of hydromorphone, a derivative of morphine, which could become a substitute for dangerous substances for drug users.

Only drug users officially registered in Vancouver’s healthcare system can use the machine. It works from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The machine identifies the client by the palm of his hand: The scanner is able to read the vein pattern. After verification, the device issues tablets with hydromorphone. As the focus groups showed, each drug user needs 10-16 tablets per day.

“The math is simple. Deadly fentanyl is on one side of the scale, and a well-known pharmaceutical dosage is on the other. A person who takes a pre-calculated dose will not have an overdose, ”said the project manager.