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Sheriff’s office unveils vending machine filled with Narcan

Narcan vending machine
Narcan vending machine Narcan vending machine installed at Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office.

CHARLOTTE — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office is making a life-saving medicine available for free, and you don’t even need to talk to anybody in person to get it.

The sheriff’s office debuted a special vending machine filled with Narcan this week.

The machine is in the arrest processing center, but anyone can get Narcan there for free.

Narcan is a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose and save a life. That’s why the sheriff’s office recommends everyone carry it, whether they use opioids or not.

Earlier this year, similar Narcan dispensing machines were unveiled at the Rowan Country Detention Center. Authorities noted a North Carolina study that found people leaving jail are 40 times more likely to die of an opioid overdose within their first two weeks after release.

(WATCH: Revised autopsy reveals fentanyl played part in UNC student’s death)

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