Montana’s plan to curb opioid overdoses includes vending machines

Before she stopped using drugs for good, Cierra Coon estimates that she overdosed eight times in a span of two weeks in the fall of 2022. One of those times, the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone helped save her life.

She was riding in a car on the back roads of the Flathead Indian Reservation when she lost consciousness. Someone in the car grabbed a small bottle of naloxone, sprayed it up her nose, and performed CPR until she came to. Coon said having quick access to the overdose reversal agent, also known by the brand name Narcan, was incredibly lucky.

“The times I wasn’t administered naloxone, it’s a miracle that I made it out,” Coon said. “People brought me back by shocking me with cold water and doing CPR. But that’s not a for-sure ‘I’m going to bring you back to life,’” Coon said.