A brand new Narcan vending machine is now open in North Minneapolis.
It’s located at Fire Station 14 on Lowry Ave. N, a designated safety hub for local residents - and it’s free.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the machine will empower the community with a life-saving resource.
"This is a place where no matter who you are, where you're coming from, no matter what you're experiencing in that moment, you can get not judged - but get care," says Mayor Frey. "We're not going to be judging you at Station 14 on the northside. We're going to be giving you every kind of care and help that you need in that particular moment."
A similar South Minneapolis machine opened last year, and has already distributed nearly 1,700 boxes so far.
City leaders will consider providing more machines to the public if the need continues.
Ward 4 Council Member Latrisha Vetaw praised the move as a vital step in preventing opioid overdoses the community.
"North Minneapolis has felt the impact of the opioid crisis deeply," Vetaw said. "We've lost too many lives, and this is just one step towards that not being a thing."
Narcan is a brand-name for Naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The number of opioid-involved drug overdose deaths in Minnesota decreased in 2023 for the first time in five years, but has dramatically increased in recent years, tripling since 2014. Non-fatal overdoses in the state have increased at similar levels.