Pennsylvania Vending Machine Hands Out Free Naloxone

Published: 10/5/2026 | Author: Nikki Wisher

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A harm reduction vending machine in Reading dispensed 870 fentanyl test strips and 686 doses of naloxone in its first 15 months of operation. Pennsylvania officials have expanded opioid reversal programs throughout the state to supplement treatment programs and local Narcotics Anonymous chapters, but too many people still fall through the cracks.

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine tracked the machine and interviewed its users. Their findings say as much about poverty and access as they do about overdose prevention in Pennsylvania.

The machine also handed out 2,347 hygiene kits, 1,166 wound care kits, 983 menstrual kits, and 626 safer sex kits between May 2024 and August 2025. The study found that basic needs items were the most requested products.

The Opioid Crisis in the USA

Overdose deaths in the United States have dropped since 2024. Researchers credit substance use programming and the wider distribution of overdose prevention tools for the decline. This is where the machine comes in with testing strips for fentanyl, xylazine and more.

Access remains uneven, however. In 2025, only 35 states plus D.C. have vending machines. Early evaluations tied statistically significant drops in fatal overdoses to machines in Nevada, while one in Ohio drew in folks who had never before used harm reduction services.

The Machine in The Keystone State

Reading is a city of about 95,000 people where one third live below the poverty line. A community advisory board of healthcare providers, public health professionals and people with lived experience of addiction knew that drug addiction was a way of life for some residents. So they chose to place it in the entrance lobby of a community organization that’s staffed 24/7.

Users register with an anonymous username made of a color, an animal or nature icon and a birth year.  They can get supplies capped at two per day, with wound care and hygiene kits limited to one per week because of demand. Naloxone was the exception.

Drug testing strip buyers can watch an instructional video on the machine’s touch screen. The screen also lists local treatment providers, housing assistance and food pantries.

Serving the Community

The machine logged 1,247 registrations and dispensed 6,544 items. When asked to rate their overall experience up to 10 weeks, over 70% of returning users called it excellent. Convenience and free items were the top reasons. And discretion was a major selling point.

Of 1,174 registered clients who obtained items, 21.3% returned at least once and 3.9% visited more than 10 times. About 80% of the study’s qualitative participants had received naloxone or fentanyl testing strips from the machine and 70% got both.

Some setbacks occurred. Some folks noticed that items were out of stock while others didn’t know that the machine offered a directory of local services. Some people also registered multiple times in hopes of getting around the limits.

Hygiene Kits Matter in Overdose Prevention

Interestingly, clients asked for food, gloves, hats, and razors more than any harm reduction item. 

In interviews, naloxone and fentanyl test strips were often picked up alongside hygiene supplies, which means the machine reaches people who don’t go to syringe services. One focus group participant relayed, “I think the fact that these items are available for free is just phenomenal. People can safeguard themselves, and that makes a difference.”

Harm Reduction and Treatment

Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication. Anyone who uses opioids or knows someone who does can carry it without a prescription. Fentanyl test strips detect the presence of fentanyl in a drug supply, and strips for xylazine, an animal sedative increasingly found in the opioid supply, are also available in some places. These tools don’t treat opioid addiction, but keep people alive to reach treatment.

Medication-assisted treatment can help with withdrawal and peer support through NA meetings sustains recovery.

NA Supplements Prevention & Recovery

Like the vending machine supplies, NA is free and open to all. One bonus is that it’s human-based. You form fellowship with colleagues that last a lifetime, whether that’s through a formal sponsor or a simple shoulder to lean on when times get tough.

Getting started with NA is made simpler with our browsable directory, which houses chapters in every state. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert and explore local options.