Minneapolis' first Narcan vending machine unveiled in effort to curb overdoses
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other leaders on Wednesday unveiled a vending machine filled with free boxes of Narcan in an effort to combat the opioid crisis in the city.
The vending machine is outside Fire Station 21 on East 38th Street and Minnehaha Avenue and will be accessible to the public at all hours of the day.
Narcan is a nasal spray which can reverse overdoses of opioids, including street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl and prescription versions including oxycodone. Making Narcan more widely accessible has been a key strategy to control the overdose crisis nationwide, as advocates say giving it to the people who are most likely to be around overdoses can save lives.
Officials say that though Minneapolis represents 7.5% of the state's population, it has accounted for more than 20% of all opioid-related deaths in the last five years.
The vending machine is in an area that experiences a high number of overdoses: 74 suspected overdoses and four suspected fatal overdoses have happened in the south Minneapolis neighborhood so far this year.
In Minnesota, more than 1,000 people lost their lives to an opioid overdose in 2022, which is the most recent data available. An overwhelming majority — 92% — of those deaths were linked to fentanyl poisoning, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
On Tuesday, Rep. Angie Craig and Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced they're backing a bill aimed at curbing fentanyl trafficking on social media platforms, which is a way for young people to get access to the deadly drug. The legislation requires social media companies to alert law enforcement when drug trafficking occurs on the site, and establishes criminal and civil penalties for failing to do so.