Narcan now easily available across U of A campus

The University of Arizona has made naloxone, or Narcan, available across campus.

Naloxone is easy to administer to someone who is overdosing by using a form of nasal spray. The medication can swiftly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and restore breathing and consciousness, a media release from the University of Arizona said. Naloxone cannot injure someone it has been administered to if they have not ingested opioids.

More than five people die each day from overdoses in Arizona, UA officials said in a news release.

“Moreover, an increasing percentage of recreational drugs and fake pills are contaminated with fentanyl, an exceptionally potent synthetic opioid,” the release said. “Having naloxone available is therefore increasingly important to address these concerns and protect our community.”

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This undertaking was made possible by a UA student-led group that provides scientifically-backed community drug education and harm reduction resources called the Team Awareness Combatting Overdose, or TACO.

Naloxone is now included in Automated External Defibrillator (AED) cabinets across the campus. The cabinets can be found using the UA campus map.

This program has been fully implemented at the University of Arizona main campus in Tucson and is currently expanding to other school locations, including the College of Medicine in Phoenix.

AED cabinets stocked with naloxone have stickers easily visible from the outside.