Narcan saves lives from opioid overdoses, but it can be hard to find around Kansas City

Narcan can be hard to find in Kansas City. This box inside the city health department provides free doses.
Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Despite efforts to make it more widely available, high prices mean Kansas City doesn't have enough doses for the people who need it most.
Casey Johnson stepped into the bathroom of a Westport bar recently and immediately sensed something was off.

She saw two still legs and hair grazing the floor in a neighboring stall.

Johnson knocked on the stall door. She yelled. But when Johnson got no response, she grabbed the naloxone she always carries, crawled under the stall and found a person struggling to breathe.

The nasal spray Johnson used next saved the person’s life.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Addiction experts and health care workers contend the medication should be in every medicine cabinet, first aid kit and purse. It should also be in the room anytime someone is using opioids.