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Narcan kits will be available for anyone to buy

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ROCHESTER - Frisbie Memorial Hospital unveiled a new partnership with Walgreen's of Rochester that will allow anyone to buy an opioid antidote Narcan kit at the South Main Street pharmacy beginning Monday.

Last year in New Hampshire 321 users of opioids like heroin and Oxycodone died from overdoses and this year such deaths are likely to more than triple, officials said.

The Narcan kits, which typically sell for $40-$60, will include two doses of the drug along with a nasal dose applicator and full instructions on how to use it.

Narcan must be administered soon after an overdose is apparent, so health officials want everyone to call 911 before they use it, however no one who calls police can be arrested for heroin possession thanks to a Good Samaritan law signed by Gov. Maggie Hansen earlier this summer.

All pharmacies will formulate their own policies on who should receive the kits, but a request to purchase the kit will normally suffice.

The announcement at Frisbie on Monday follows close on the heels of the unveiling of a state program last month that provides free Narcan kits.

That announcement came on the same day the attorney general's office made the public aware of an ongoing investigation it is pursuing into whether drug companies are deceptively marketing prescription opioids.

The state's federally-funded purchase of the 5,000 naloxone kits at a cost of $500,000 is a one-time effort.

State officials were also looking for doctors to prescribe Narcan, known as naloxone, and for pharmacies to stock it.

People can obtain the free naloxone at any community health center.

A list of health centers that provide free naloxone is available at drugfreenh.org.

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