Culture
Why Vancouver Has Crack Pipe Vending Machines
It's part of an effort to provide safe and cheap alternatives for addicts.
Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighborhood, long hampered by poverty and substance abuse, now has vending machines that sell crack pipes for cheap.
They were installed six months ago by local non-profit Portland Hotel Society. One is located at the Drug Users Resource Center; the other is at the Washington Community Market. The polka-dot machines hold 200 pyrex glass pipes each, and dispense them for 25 cents, much less than the street price. PHU says they sell out every week.