Vending

Oklahoma to relaunch naloxone vending machine program with different strategy

Photo: Hanson - stock.adobe.com

June 16, 2025

Oklahoma's mental health agency is relaunching its naloxone vending machine initiative, shifting responsibility for stocking the machines to local community partners, according to a KGOU report. The plan follows the suspension of the original program, which faced criticism for its high operational costs and logistical challenges.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will redistribute 20 vending machines that dispense the overdose-reversing medication and fentanyl test strips. Previously, the department spent more than $14 million over 16 months to operate 25 of the machines. Under the decentralized model, the agency will provide the machines and initial stock at no cost, but local partners will then use their own resources, including local opioid settlement funds, to purchase refills.

Officials stated the change allows for a more targeted approach to combatting the opioid crisis.

"That goal was an anti-stigma campaign around raising awareness," Andrea Hamor Edmondson, senior program manager, told the news outlet. "And now what we've really moved this focus to, is making sure that we have resources placed in the highest need areas."

The locations for the machines were chosen using state hospitalization data and overdose rates. This strategic shift comes as provisional data from the CDC indicates that drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma have declined for the first time since 2019.