Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is awarding $3 million in grant funding to provide free naloxone to nonprofits across the state, in an effort to prevent deadly opioid overdoses.

Naloxone, often referred to by its brand name, "Narcan," is a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. One woman who credits the drug with saving her life said the funding could help others in similar situations.

"The first two times were from a complete stranger who felt like I was worth saving," said Rica Rodriguez, who now works with Promotores de Esperanza, one of the nonprofits receiving the grant. "And then the third time was a cousin, who eventually ended up passing of an overdose himself."

The money comes from settlements with drug manufacturers held responsible for contributing to the opioid epidemic.

Weiser, who's running for governor in 2026, says he's helped secure $132.6 million as part of these legal settlements and says he's using these funds to support prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction strategies in Colorado.

According to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed in the past two decades across the state. In 2000, 351 people died of drug overdoses in Colorado, and the state has seen a steady increase in those deaths each year since, with some occasional dips. In 2021, the year with the most overdose-related deaths so far, 1,881 people in Colorado died of overdoses.