Marin County is acknowledging International Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday by installing additional naloxone vending machines throughout the county that dispense a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses.

According to officials, Marin County averages one fatal overdose each week and overdose deaths have doubled in the past three years.

Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is an over-the-counter nasal spray or injection that blocks the effects of opioids. It can be administered with no training and will not harm someone who is not experiencing an overdose.

“Together we can” is the 2024 theme of International Overdose Awareness Day, which is held annually with the goal of ending all drug overdoses. (IOAD/Penington Institute)

The vending machines are available in at least seven locations countywide in places like fire stations, county buildings and community centers. In total, there are about 18 locations in Marin County that offer free naloxone.

“Vending machines are a great way to make sure everyone has access to Narcan in a no-questions asked, cost-free, and equitable way,” said Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis in a statement released by the county.

The vending machines are not necessarily there to be used in emergencies, but rather to have an easy place for people who may need to have the life-saving medication on hand to acquire it.

The program is part of OD Free Marin, which is a community-based coalition focused on prevention, treatment and education around issues of opioid use.

Marin County will be receiving $7.2 million over the next nine years to tackle the opioid epidemic. The money comes from settlements with pharmaceutical companies for downplaying the risks of addiction their products presented.

For a full map of where to find the vending machines in Marin County, go to https://odfreemarin.org/naloxone.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.