Minneapolis has free naloxone vending machines that dispense NARCAN, the brand-name version of naloxone, to community members.
Naloxone can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in an emergency, according to FOX 9, making quick access to the medication a matter of life and death for people experiencing or witnessing an overdose.
Building on Earlier Machines Across the City
Fire Station 12 joins a growing network that started in July 2024, when the city unveiled its first naloxone vending machine outside Fire Station 21 at 3209 E. 38th St., according to the Star Tribune. That machine was accessible 24 hours a day with no questions asked, the paper reported, and Mayor Jacob Frey and city staff were on hand for the launch, as reported by MPR News.
The Fire Station 21 pilot turned out to be heavily used. From July 2024 through April 2025, more than 1,700 boxes of NARCAN were dispensed through that machine, per the same FOX 9 report on the city's Northside expansion. Fire Station 14 also has a NARCAN machine. That Northside machine holds more than 100 boxes of NARCAN, each containing two doses, and is free to community members without barriers, the city said.
Why the North and South Sides Both Got Machines
FOX 9's reporting linked the expansion to uneven opioid-related harm across Minneapolis, including in the area around Fire Station 21.
What Comes Next
What Public Records Show
The City of Minneapolis also lists a free Narcan vending machine outside Fire Station 5 at 2700 Bloomington Ave. S., available 24 hours a day, according to the city. For broader context, Hennepin County reports that more than 10,000 emergency room or hospital visits involved opioids in 2024, and 264 lives were lost to opioid-related overdoses, according to the county.
More machines could be installed in the future, extending Minneapolis' free, low-barrier access to naloxone.
