Why Twin Cities Restaurants and Bars Are Carrying Narcan and Fentanyl Test Strips | Eater Twin Cities

"At this Uptown tea bar, vice president Damla Erten had staff trained and began stocking naloxone; two weeks later an overdose on the steps behind the tea bar prompted an employee to administer two successive doses of naloxone, an action Erten says "possibly sav[ed] that person’s life," and camera footage showed it took 12 minutes for paramedics to arrive. Erten now conducts outreach to neighboring businesses through her Uptown Community Coalition to encourage preparedness, but notes resistance rooted in stigma — some owners fear stocking naloxone would be perceived as encouraging drug use. She counters with a pragmatic business argument: "To me, it’s just preparedness from a strictly business perspective." The location also hosts community naloxone trainings through the Rummler HOPE Network." - Justine Jones