A Canadian non-profit has given Vancouver its first crack pipe vending machines in an attempt to stop the spread of disease from users sharing pipes.
Portland Hotel Society’s Drug Users Resource Center put the first set of machines in Vancouver’s Washington Market, all of which sell crack pipes made of Pyrex for $0.25 each according to an ubergizmo report.
“Various studies show a correlation between HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases with crack pipe use,” Portland Hotel Society addictions worker Mark Townsend said. “People can have sores on their lips, and [get diseases] from cracked or broken pipes.”