RICHMOND, Va. -- John Freyer is a man on a mission, riding his bike filled to the brim with Naloxone, a drug that can be used to reverse an opioid overdose, through the pouring rain Sunday afternoon.
"We're in the middle of an opioid overdose crisis," Freyer said, showing off the Free Naloxone Bike he rides around in the Richmond community as part of the Free Naloxone Bike Project.
The project is affiliated with "Rams in Recovery," which provides support for VCU students in recovery from substance use disorders.
"The goal of this project is to get Naloxone or Narcan into the hands of as many people as possible, and especially people who might be close to someone who might overdose," Freyer said.
Sunday, he partnered with Food Not Bombs of Richmond to distribute free Naloxone to anyone who asked for it.
The push to get Naloxone into the hands of more people comes at a critical time, Freyer said.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, fatal drug overdose has been the leading cause of unnatural deaths in Virginia for the last decade.
"One of the things that's the cause of the current crisis is the contamination of fentanyl into all kinds of different drugs. It's showing up in cocaine, it's showing up in the heroine supply. So, that's very fast acting, and it's very concentrated, so it can put someone into overdose quickly," Freyer explained.
Freyer said taking free Naloxone is a good idea for anyone, from any background, because it could be used at any time.
"There are accidental overdoses all the time. If you have a grandparent at home and they are taking a pain medication and they take it at 11, and then they accidentally take it at noon, they could be in overdose," Freyer explained. "You don't know who you're going to encounter. You could be at a Starbucks anywhere in the country and find someone in overdose. And the difference between that person dying and their life being saved is Narcan, Naloxone."
You can learn how to use the Naloxone nasal spray here.
In Virginia, there is a Good Samaritan law, which means if someone administers naloxone and is unsuccessful in saving them, the person who administered it cannot be held responsible.
Freyer said based on Virginia's Safe Reporting Law, if you have Naloxone, administer it and call authorities and stay with the person experiencing an overdose, neither you nor the person who overdosed is subject to arrest or prosecution.
"We want to make it so that people are comfortable calling the authorities, if there's an overdose situation, especially in a time of fentanyl and other contaminants to the drug supply," Freyer said.
Freyer said although Naloxone doses do have an expiration date, you can still use it in times of need even if it's technically expired.
Freyer is partnering with Ben's Friends, which provides support for people in the food and beverage industry who are in recovery. Freyer plans on meeting with staff at Beauvine Burger Concept to train and distribute Naloxone at the end of the month.
According to the FDA, Naloxone is expected to be made available over the counter by the end of the summer.
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