TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas – All patrolling Travis County deputies will now be equipped with the life-saving medication Narcan.

The drug Narcan, or Naloxone, is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. Texas is ranked number two nationwide in terms of health care costs associated with opioid misuse.

The medications were donated by Mark Kinzly and Charles Thibodeaux with the Texas Overdoes Naloxone Initiative.

Spectrum News spoke with Kinzly back in May about efforts to help opioid addicts find their way to recovery. He drives a mobile unit throughout the community, helping addicts one needle at a time.

“I’m not condoning or condemning someone’s drug use. They’re using already,” said Mark Kinzly, a recovering addict. “What I’m saying is that, ‘I want you to do what you’re doing as safe as possible.’”

The unit distributes syringes to addicts to keep them from using dangerously. Kinzly believes that if the crisis is treated as a medical situation and not a criminal justice issue, more addicts will be able to get the help they need.

Texas Opioid Crisis: