Select Los Angeles County libraries will begin distributing Narcan kits to the public free of charge, from Oct. 11 to Nov. 9 as part of a pilot program. They will not be asked for ID but those getting the anti-opioid spray will have to sit for a brief video demonstration on how to administer the Narcan.
Narcan is applied as a nasal spray in the nostril of a person experiencing an opioid overdose or fentanyl poisoning. As an “opioid antagonist” it attaches to opioid receptors and reverses and blocks the effects of other opioids. It usually results in restored breathing to someone who has slowed breathing or has stopped breathing due to the opioid’s effects.
The distribution rollout will take place at five libraries: East Los Angeles Library, 4837 E 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90022; Lennox Library, 4359 Lennox Blvd., Lennox, CA 90304; Lancaster Library, 601 W Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534; Leland R. Weaver Library, 4035 Tweedy Blvd., South Gate, CA 90280; West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069.
At a county level, fentanyl was responsible for 1,504 fatal overdoses in 2021, a 1,280% increase from 109 overdoses in 2016, according to the Department of Public Health. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 107,622 Americans died of drug poisoning in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Jaime Puerta, of Santa Clarita, is president and founder of Victims of Illicit Drugs and goes from school-to-school educating young people and parents about the presence of fentanyl sold on social media sites such as Snapchat and Instagram.