L.A. County spends millions to stop overdoses. Critics say naloxone enables addicts, but city data show scores of lives saved

Los Angeles County spends millions of dollars each year on overdose prevention, providing free access to life-saving drugs that reverse the effects of opioids. While critics of the program say it enables addiction, proponents point to L.A. City Fire Department data, which show that naloxone has a high success rate of preventing deaths from overdose. CBS News California Investigates obtained data from the LAFD that show 24,503 of the 25,461 patients who received naloxone doses since 2022 survived their overdose, about 96%. The L.A. County Department of Public Health says 2024 saw the most significant drop in overdose deaths, including a 37% decrease in fentanyl-related cases since 2014, when county officials began tracking the homeless mortality rate. Naloxone is the generic name for the fast-acting medication that is used to reverse opioid overdoses, including those of heroin, fentanyl and other prescription drugs, according to the LACDPH . Narcan is one of the most commonly used brands of naloxone. The LACDPH attributed this change to multiple factors, including an increase in overdose prevention, harm reduction and mental health and substance use treatment services. The decline was also largely driven by a 21% decrease in drug overdose mortality among people experiencing homelessness, officials said. "Narcan reverses an overdose almost instantaneously, and it has been shown over and over and over again," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the LACDPH. …