FDA will not regulate vending machines that sell the ‘morning-after’ pill

It’s been almost a year since Shippensburg University made headlines for its personal contraceptive vending machine options. And after looking into all the surrounding hubbub, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that they will not take any regulatory action.

Anyone who’s been in a college student center in the past decade knows that vending machine options range far past peanut butter crackers. In addition to the ear buds, flash drives, No-Doze, and highlighters, some schools are even offering condoms. But when word got out that students at one Pennsylvania college could purchase the “morning-after” pill, federal regulators began asking questions as to the accessibility of emergency contraception.

According to the Associated Press, FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson said Friday that officials looked at publicly available information about the Shippensburg University vending program, spoke with university and campus health officials, and decided no action was necessary.

The vending machine provides Plan B One Step for $25, in addition to items like condoms, decongestants and pregnancy tests. Administrators said the idea for the machine came from a student survey and was endorsed by the student government.

The vending machine is said to be in a secluded area of the campus in a health center and accessible only to the student body, who are all over the age of 17.