California programs are waiting weeks for free Narcan to prevent overdose deaths

LOS ANGELES — After losing her son Luke to an overdose, Sheila Scott has been trying to get "revenge on death," she said.

Scott founded the Lukelove Foundation and has been teaching families how to use Narcan, a nasal spray containing naloxone that can reverse the deadly effects of opioids. If the medication had been around when her son overdosed, Scott said, things could have been different.

"It's like creating an army," Scott said of her trainings. Whenever she hears back from someone that they used Narcan to save a life, "I'm dancing around the kitchen."

But as the overdose crisis has deepened, so has the demand for naloxone in California — and the pinch is being felt by community groups. Like many in California, Scott orders Narcan through a state program that provides the lifesaving medication for free to community groups, emergency responders, law enforcement and other eligible