SALT LAKE CITY — Some of Utah's most popular independent grocery stores and pharmacies will now make naloxone, an overdose reversal drug, available without a prescription.

Associated Food Stores, which represents about 400 independent grocery stores and pharmacies in the Intermountain West, including Harmons, Fresh Market, Dan's and Maceys, made the announcement Monday.

"We're ready and we think the public is ready," pharmacy operations manager Denise Kunkel said.

Kunkel said the organization felt that the Utah Legislature "cleared the runway" after passing a law in 2014 that permits people to administer naloxone to someone who they believe is overdosing.

This year, lawmakers passed more bills that broadened access to naloxone further by permitting people to hand out naloxone kits to others.

"Miracle drug"

Naloxone has been called a "miracle drug" for its effectiveness and safety.

It is sold under its brand name Narcan, and it has long been used by doctors and paramedics to quickly revive people who have overdosed on opioids by kicking opiates off of brain receptors and restoring function to the central nervous and respiratory systems. The drug, which comes in a nasal spray as well as injection form, is considered safe for people to administer to others.

People who want to buy naloxone kits from Associated Food Stores pharmacies do not need a prescription due to what's called a collaborative practice agreement with prescribers. Kunkel said that misconception has been the biggest barrier to getting more kits into the hands of the public.

The cost of a kit varies from $50 to $70, but Kunkel said most people who have insurance can at least get part of the cost covered. She added that people can get up to three kits a year.

If you are under 18, you need to bring an adult family member.

License for risky behavior?

Wider access to the drug is opposed by some who fear the kits will give people license to engage in risky behavior or make them think that they can revive people themselves without calling 911.

Kunkel acknowledged those concerns but said pharmacists are trained to educate patients and provide counseling for high-risk patients. She said pharmacists have a system to flag patients who may be at risk and can engage with them in a conversation about risk reduction strategies.

Everybody who receives a naloxone kit is also trained to call 911 before administering the drug.

"What we do is we look at this as only part of a solution," Kunkel said. "We can't really think that having naloxone is going to be the end-all."

"Our protocol is a little more comprehensive than just dispensing," Kunkel added. "We really look at counseling as being a key part of this."

Now available at ...

Associated Food Stores pharmacies are scattered across the Wasatch Front and in more rural parts of the state like Duchesne and Sanpete counties.

The full list of Associated Food Stores pharmacies that now offer naloxone kits include: A&W, Bowman’s, Cecil’s, Dan’s, Davis Food & Drug, Day’s Market, Dick’s Market Centerville, Ephraim Market Fresh, Fresh Market, Harmons, Kamas Foodtown, Kent’s Market Brigham City, Kent’s Market Clearfield, Lee’s Marketplace, Lin’s Market, Maceys, Payson Market, Ridley’s, Stewarts Basin Family Pharmacy, and Winegar’s Bountiful.

According to Utah Naloxone, a naloxone distribution program founded in 2014, kits are also available without a prescription at Wasatch Pharmacy Care in Ogden and the Apothecary Shoppe at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center.

All retail pharmacies within the University of Utah Health Care network, outpatient Intermountain Healthcare Pharmacies and the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center pharmacy in Salt Lake City also offer naloxone kits. Email: dchen@deseretnews.com Twitter: DaphneChen_

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