Narcan vending machine nears 800 uses
Published 10:00 am Tuesday, September 22, 2026
A Narcan vending machine installed less than two months ago in downtown Oxford has already been used nearly 800 times, giving residents and visitors free access to overdose-reversal medication and other harm-reduction supplies.
Communicare installed the machine on the first floor of the parking garage on the Square as an effort to make Narcan more readily available while reducing barriers to obtaining the medication.
Communicare Outreach Director Grace Danison said the response has exceeded expectations.
“We’re almost at 800 pulls out of the machine,” Danison said. “We’re very excited about that.”
The machine offers several products, including Narcan, Narcan pouches and keychains, fentanyl test strips and DisposeRx medication-disposal packets.
Supplies are available at no cost.
Danison said Narcan remains the most frequently distributed item, while fentanyl test strips also have been in high demand.“We keep the most stocked,” she said of Narcan. “But there are people getting pouches, and some of the fentanyl test strips — those have been selling really well.”
The machine’s climate-controlled design allows Communicare to monitor usage data required under the grant funding the project. Danison said the information collected is confidential.
The machine is monitored by Oxford Police Department cameras, which allows Communicare to be alerted if there are problems with the unit or unusual activity.
Danison said conversations with people encountered while restocking the machine suggest many users are taking the supplies as a precaution rather than because they currently use drugs.
She said some people have told Communicare staff that they have previously experienced substance use themselves or have lost family members or friends to an overdose.
“There are people that will stop us and they’ll be like, ‘Thank you so much for doing this. My family member passed away from an overdose, so I really appreciate this,’” Danison said.
She also said some Uber drivers have picked up Narcan to keep in their vehicles.
The newest addition to the machine is an individual Narcan keychain holder, allowing users to carry a single dose of Narcan on their keys. Like all of the other supplies, the keychains and medication are free.
Communicare Outreach/Communications Specialist Olivia Blackwell said the machine has also created opportunities for the organization to interact with people who are curious about what it provides.
“It’s been a really good way to interact with the community,” Blackwell said. “People walking by ask what it is and what it’s for, and we can kind of educate the community that way.”
One unexpected aspect of the machine’s use has been the demand for fentanyl test strips. Blackwell said the strips have been leaving the machine at a rate nearly comparable to Narcan.
In a college town, she said, some of the interest appears to come from concerns about fentanyl being present in drinks or other substances without a person’s knowledge.
The test strips can be used to determine whether fentanyl is present in a sample, and instructions are included with the product.
Communicare generally restocks the machine once a week, although Danison said the schedule can increase during particularly busy periods, such as an Ole Miss football weekend.
The vending machine and its supplies are funded through a grant received by Communicare through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The funding covers the machine and the supplies, meaning the project does not directly draw on Communicare’s operating funds.