A recent White House budget leak revealed potential plans to cut naloxone (Narcan) distribution programs across the United States. Watch as Dr. Joshua Lynch weighs in on the devastating impacts these budget cuts could have on overdose prevention efforts nationwide.
Naloxone – commonly referred to by the brand name Narcan – is a life-saving, opioid overdose reversal medication that was approved as an over-the-counter medication in 2023. Recent news about potential budget cuts around naloxone distribution and trainings raised alarms across the addiction medicine, emergency medicine, and harm reduction fields. MATTERS’ Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joshua Lynch, joined CNN to discuss what these funding cuts could mean for the general public.
Dr. Lynch said, “Naloxone has been a proven reversal agent for opioid overdoses for years…and the federal government has used naloxone distribution to help curb the opioid epidemic. Restricting that access – especially to first responders, police, fire, EMS, and other community groups – would be a huge step backwards and would most certainly lead to more overdose deaths.”
Improved access to naloxone has proven to be an effective method to prevent opioid overdose across the United States (FDA 2023; White, 2018). Recent reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025) highlighted a near 24% decrease in fatal opioid overdoses between 2023 and 2024; according to the CDC, some of this success can be attributed to improved access to naloxone and other harm reduction supplies. Dr. Lynch echoes these sentiments during his interview, stating, “Naloxone distribution over the last few years has really grown…Programs like this, distributing to first responders and others, are key to continuing the success that we saw last year in reducing overdose deaths.”
Although these budget cuts are not yet finalized, there are real-world implications to consider. Dr. Lynch summarizes, “There’s no question that the public, patients, family members who rely on this medication because they’re still working through treatment or recovery – those are the ones that will suffer.” MATTERS is dedicated to improving access to treatment and resources, like naloxone, across its networks. Individuals and organizations in New York State can order free naloxone to be delivered to their door on the MATTERS website and mobile app.
References
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, February 25). CDC reports nearly 24% decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths. CDC Newsroom. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2025/2025-cdc-reports-decline-in-us-drug-overdose-deaths.html
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United States Food and Drug Administration. (2023, March 29). Access to naloxone can save a life during an opioid overdose. Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/access-naloxone-can-save-life-during-opioid-overdose
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White, N. D. (2018). Increasing naloxone access and use to prevent opioid overdose death and disability. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 13(1), 33–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827618803874