Minneapolis unveils first vending machine with free Narcan

Minneapolis has installed the city's first Narcan vending machine in an effort to curb the opioid crisis in Minnesota.

Mayor Jacob Frey and other city leaders unveiled the machine, filled with free boxes of Narcan, on Wednesday. Narcan, or naloxone, is a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses, including heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine.

The vending machine is located outside Fire Station 21 at East 38th St. and Minnehaha Ave. Each box contains two doses and the vending machine will be available 24 hours a day.

"This will help keep families together," Frey said at the unveiling, per MPR . "This will help prevent someone from dying, and this will ultimately help someone to live a brilliant life to get the care that they need."

Advocates assert that having Narcan readily available in public spaces and in the hands of individuals who might encounter others overdosing will save lives.

“It’s as simple as pushing a button to get the box out of the machine,” Damōn Chaplin, Director of the Minneapolis Health Department, said. “There is no judgment and no stigma. We want people to be able to get a box when needed, and in cases of emergencies.”

Putting Narcan in the hands of the community can be a particularly impactful strategy because the drug is most effective when administered within five to six minutes of an overdose. That time frame can make it difficult for paramedics to arrive in time.

Earlier this week, Rep. Angie Craig and Sen. Amy Klobuchar backed a bill that would push social media platforms to alert law enforcement when drug trafficking happens on their site. The bill, aimed a throttling fentanyl trafficking on social media platforms, establishes criminal and civil penalties for failing to alert law enforcement.