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Health advocates promote free Narcan on Fentanyl Awareness Day
According to the CDC, over 150 people die each day from synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the United States. Tuesday is Fentanyl Awareness Day and here in the Bay Area, people are mobilizing to bring more attention to the dangers of using synthetic opioid.
SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco County Jail is offering free Narcan to visitors as part of the city's efforts to slow the fentanyl crisis.
Narcan, also known as naloxone, has the ability to reverse opioid overdoses, including those caused by street drugs like heroin and fentanyl.
Struggling with a drug crisis, San Francisco wants Narcan available at every pharmacy
San Francisco could become the first city in the country to require every pharmacy within its boundaries to always carry naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health is taking measures to improve access to the life-saving drug. The drug is being distributed to the county jail, located at 425 Seventh Street, where visitors can help themselves to Narcan, at no cost.
Advocates consider the wider availability of the drug as a pivotal strategy to control overdose deaths in the city.
San Francisco police, firefighters, and paramedics already carry Narcan as part of their emergency response protocols.