Boulder County to Offer Free Narcan at Boulder Creek Festival

Boulder County's Substance Use Advisory Group will offer free Narcan at the Boulder Creek Festival this Memorial Day weekend.

Trina Faatz, a peer and family specialist with SUAG, said Narcan kits will be available to individuals aged 15 and older at the SUAG booth. Anyone under that age will need to be accompanied by someone over 15. Additionally, there will be certified trainers on site to offer training on how to administer Narcan. Faatz estimated that SUAG has more than 400 Narcan kits to give away this weekend.

One of the key goals of the booth, Faatz said, is to provide education, resources, and information about Narcan, substance use treatment, and support for anyone who may need it. She said Narcan has become a crucial resource not only amid the opioid epidemic of the past few decades but also as deadly fentanyl continues to infiltrate street drug supplies.

"We pretty much believe (fentanyl is) in everything," Faatz said. "And that's why having Narcan and knowing how to use it ... is so important."

Faatz said the move to offer Narcan at the Boulder Creek Festival was a proactive one intended to promote Narcan awareness and use in the community, and not an indication that overdoses are expected at the event.

Mila Long, a certified addiction specialist with the Denver Recovery Group, said, "The big cause of overdose right now is opioids, especially fentanyl, and those overdoses are preventable."

Narcan, also known by its generic name, naloxone, is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. According to Long, Narcan is a completely safe medication with no potential for abuse, and it can even be used on people who aren't overdosing without any harmful effects.

Aside from the stigma around Narcan, Long said, many people hold a number of misconceptions about the medication and its use. For example, one persistent myth is that giving drug users access to Narcan will encourage them to use it to the point of overdose. Long said that based on her clinical experience that idea is "completely inaccurate."

"In my work as a counselor and peer recovery coach over the last six years, I have never met a single client who has said, 'You know, I overuse drugs because I have Narcan,'" Long said. "Overdosing is actually a really, really uncomfortable experience for people. And if they don't die ... there can be complications. So yeah, nobody is using Narcan in that way. ... I mean, sure, it helps people to feel safer, but it's not like, 'Because I have Narcan, I'm going to use drugs.'"

Other common misconceptions include the belief that only drug users carry Narcan. In fact, Long said, community members can keep it on hand in case they see someone who they think may be overdosing.

The SUAG booth, booth number 549, will be located in the parking lot on Arapahoe Avenue, east of the Boulder Public Library main branch, between Broadway and Ninth Avenue. It will be open from Saturday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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