A dispensing machine distributes doses of Naloxone, best known by the brand name Narcan. Credit: Shutterstock /
A San Antonio nonprofit representing mothers who lost children to fentanyl poisoning has installed the city’s first-ever free dispensing machine for Narcan, the best-known brand name for the opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone, KSAT reports.

The group Soles Walking 4 Soles got its start by promoting an annual fentanyl awareness walk but has since expanded into offering drug-education talks at schools, churches and businesses, according to the TV station. It installed its first Narcan dispenser about a month ago at San Antonio Recovery Center’s outpatient location, 7122 San Pedro Ave., Suite #114.

The group plans to install more around the city, each featuring a photo of a son or daughter lost to a fentanyl overdose, KSAT reports. The recovery center’s dispenser features Soles Walking for Soles volunteer Krystal Plaisance’s son, Jai Rodrigue, who died after taking Xanax laced with the potentially deadly opioid.

“I do believe that [Narcan] is saving lives, and we’ve just got to keep on educating and spreading the word,” Plaisance told the TV station. “It’s got to have a purpose to why he’s not here. If we can just save one life, or if I can just save one parent from having to go through this, it’s worth it.”

The free dispenser holds up to 100 boxes of Narcan, and it’s printed with directions on how to administer the life-saving drug, according to KSAT. Anyone can access the machine without being required to fill out a form or obtain a prescription.

Narcan is sprayed into the nostrils of people suffering an opioid overdose to quickly bring them back from the brink.

The federal government made Narcan and other brands of Naloxone available over-the-counter last summer, but they’re not always easy to find in Texas. A study Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy found that many pharmacies here keep it behind counters or were out of the product.

Any Texas family who’s lost a loved one to fentanyl can contact Soles Walking 4 Souls to have a Narcan dispenser placed in town and dedicated to their child, according to KSAT. The group is also soliciting donations through its website and will hold its annual fundraising walk on Oct. 12.

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This article appears in Aug 7-20, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...

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