- Published:
- Monday 1 June 2026 at 9:00 am
Opioid overdose is the leading cause of drug-related death in Victoria and it can happen to anyone.
Naloxone is a free, easy-to-use medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. You can use naloxone even if you’re not sure whether someone has taken opioids
Naloxone is legal, suitable for people of all ages, is non-addictive, non-intoxicating and cannot be misused.
Overdose can affect people taking prescribed opioid medicines like, fentanyl, people using illicit drugs, or people who unknowingly take substances that contain opioids. Highly potent synthetic opioids like nitazenes are also making overdoses faster and more difficult to predict and are being found in substances such as cocaine, ketamine and MDMA.
Carrying naloxone means you can act in an emergency and help save a life.
As part of a $95.11 million Statewide Action Plan to reduce drug harms and expand care, the Victorian Government is trialling 20 naloxone dispensing machines across the state until June 2027. This includes 10 machines in metropolitan Melbourne and 10 in regional and rural communities.
The machines will be available 24/7 and each naloxone packet contains two nasal sprays with one dose in each. Sometimes more than one dose is required to reverse a single overdose. The naloxone nasal sprays are easy-to-use and come with clear instructions.
Naloxone dispensing machines have now been installed at the Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre, Bayside Health in Melbourne and Sunshine Hospital, Western Health in Brimbank with additional sites to be rolled out in the coming months at:
- Bendigo Community Health Services in Greater Bendigo
- Gippsland Lakes Complete Health Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland
- Primary Care Connect in Greater Shepparton
- Your Community Health East Reservoir in Darebin
- Latrobe Community Health Service Morwell in Latrobe
- Ballarat Community Health in Ballarat
- Sunraysia Community Health Service in Mildura
- Gateway Health in Wangaratta
The remaining local-government areas targeted for this trial include Frankston, Maribyrnong, Greater Geelong, Bass Coast, Greater Dandenong, Melbourne and Yarra.
Machines will be placed in locations with high drug harms and supported by approved naloxone providers, ensuring more Victorians can access this life-saving medication when it matters most.
The naloxone dispensing machine trial will help expand access to this life-saving medication and support more Victorians to respond in an emergency.
To learn more about free naloxone, visit the Free naloxone page on Better Health Channel.
Updated