MESA, AZ — A local group is handing out NARCAN to people who, in some cases, may need to use it to save a life, but according to video testimonials collected by the non-for-profit Fentanyl Project AZ, there’s concern that Mesa police are taking this essential tool away.
In a video published on Instagram, a woman says the Mesa Police Department has confiscated her NARCAN nose sprays on different occasions, adding that officers told her it was "due to (her) not being a medical professional."
"I’m not allowed to administer NARCAN to anybody, even to myself if needed,” she says.
The possession of NARCAN, a medically approved drug that could save the life of someone overdosing on opioids, however, is legal in Arizona and anyone can buy it over the counter at most pharmacies.
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So why are Mesa police officers allegedly taking the NARCAN away? ABC15 reached out to the police on two occasions to find out more.
On November 27, in a written statement, Mesa PD responded by saying that the “Mesa police department is aware of the video circulating from the Fentanyl Project..." and that “the department immediately began investigating the matter. “
The statement further explains that Mesa PD addressed this department-wide and communicated to all officers that NARCAN is fully legal to possess.
ABC15 followed up on the investigation our questions triggered. The response was that Mesa PD has thoroughly reviewed the allegations and the department has “not found evidence of officers removing NARCAN from citizens.”
But testimonials like the woman in the video published by the Fentanyl Project on Instagram speak differently. She says her NARCAN was confiscated five times and she has witnessed numerous occasions in which officers take it away from other individuals.
