Vending Machines
Around 40 years ago, a young entrepreneur in Iowa City knew that hook ups often happened after a night at the bars. Condoms were available for purchase from machines in the men’s restrooms of many bars, but not the women’s restrooms. So he decided to market condoms in containers the size and shape of cigarette packages…because back then, cigarette machines were prominently placed in the bars. Took the stigma out of things, or something like that.
Now we don’t have cigarette machines in bars, but a KXEL listener told me about a different form of vending machine available in Johnson County. I’ve heard of these before…the new Johnson County machines dispense—for free—things like condoms, wound care kits, and sharp containers. You can also get free Narcan for overdoses, and gun locks.
One of them was installed in the same bar in Iowa City where the cigarette machine that sold condoms was located. Nice to see some things don’t change.
And there’s nothing wrong with making health and safety items available to the public. But as our listener pointed out, perhaps these should be for adults.
You see, the vending machines were placed in public buildings in Coralville and North Liberty…so far, so good. But those public buildings were the public libraries in each city. And near as I can tell, any child of any age can partake. And that’s where they may have taken this a bit far.
Places like a city hall or other government building get plenty of people coming by, enough to where a machine like this would get plenty of use…but without being front and center for access by children, as is the case with a public library.
The goal of enhancing health and safety is a good one. In this case, though, the execution missed the mark. I hope it was just a mistake.
