Vending

Middlesex County Jail installs free Narcan vending machine

Photo: Adobe Stock

January 16, 2025

The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office in Massachusetts has installed a free Narcan vending machine at the visitor's center of the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction, according to a Cape Cod Times report. The machine allows visitors, staff and the public to obtain free doses of naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

Since its installation, the machine has been used nearly 30 times. This initiative aims to increase access to naloxone and reduce opioid overdose deaths in the community.

"It's important to have these kits in the community where they can do good," Sheriff Peter Koutoujian told the news outlet. "The greater access to this, the more lives that can be saved."

This initiative comes as Massachusetts continues to grapple with the opioid epidemic. In 2023, there were 2,125 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in the state.