According to the National Institutes of Health, deaths by opioid overdose in the United States rose from just over 21,000 per year in 2010 to more than 80,000 in 2021, in large part due to the sharp increase in Fentanyl abuse. That’s roughly 220 people per day dying of preventable overdose, and a small but powerful nonprofit organization in Asheville, NC has set out to change that, one dose of naloxone at a time.
Substance use and abuse are often seen as part of the foundation of musician life, and while for decades, artists have proudly penned tunes about the thrill of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, there’s still an underlying stigma related to the reality of opioid use in the music scene. There’s an almost don’t ask, don’t tell vibe in many green rooms across the United States, a clique-ish sort of atmosphere where everyone knows the drug abuse is happening, but no one wants to talk about it outside their inner circle. And with overdose deaths on the rise, the inability to talk about it or take further steps to address it – whether out of fear of legal repercussions, a sense of loyalty to friends and venues, or denial – is only adding to the problem. In 2020, John and Cinnamon Kennedy decided to try and change that, and Musicians for Overdose Prevention (MOP) was born. The project has grown exponentially since then and helped spark a movement that has seen more than 30,000 doses of Naloxone put into the hands of musicians and venues in 2023 alone.
It has never been easy getting naloxone to where it needs to go, and not surprisingly, cost is a huge barrier to making it accessible. Post-pandemic, many of the artists and venues that are still hanging in there are doing so by the skin of their teeth, and when you have to cover rent and food and all the other things, finding the funds to cover even a single dose of naloxone can feel impossible. Enter the Kennedys and Musicians for Overdose Prevention. Following the overdose death of his friend and fellow musician Pete Elwell in 2019, John Kennedy took his concerns to a meeting with the Buncombe County Health Department in Asheville, NC. He made his case for naloxone to be available to music venues in the Asheville area, and the health department offered him 50 doses for distribution. This led to the birth of MOP, and it was followed up by various fundraisers, including concerts and compilation albums put out by Asheville’s Holy Crap Records. The movement picked up speed in 2022 when pharmaceutical company Hikma got on board.
That collaboration was sparked in April 2022 when John Kennedy spoke with Ingela, the co-founder along with her husband Perry of This Must Be the Place. This Must Be the Place had entered an agreement with 10 music festivals and was looking for naloxone to distribute. They needed 10,000 doses, and the festival season was about to kick off.
Shortly after that, Kennedy appeared in an interview on the local news station, talking about the high cost of naloxone. Two days later, he got an unexpected email. Kennedy told Glide, “On April 20th, Lance Watson, a Hikma salesperson for the Kloxxado brand of naloxone, sent me an email and said he could sell us a box of two naloxone doses for $75. I replied: ‘The cost of naloxone for a nasal spray is approximately $2. The cost of manufacturing a nasal spray is also approximately $2. We are interested in purchasing naloxone nasal spray at the price range of $5 a kit.’ Instead of ignoring my reply Lance Watson set up a zoom call with Leigh Churchbourne, the director of his sales team. On that zoom call, on April 26, I told Lance and Leigh that I had misspoken and I didn’t want to pay $5 for a dose of naloxone – I wanted 10,000 doses for zero dollars. Leigh and Lance did not hang up.” On the contrary, they agreed, and donated the requested doses of naloxone.
MOP is leading the charge for overdose prevention in Asheville, but they’re quick to point out that it’s been a collaborative effort with other organizations and individuals across the country. Knowing that Musicians for Overdose Prevention needed to send naloxone across state lines, Cory David, Director of the Network’s Harm Reduction Legal Project, wrote a legal brief stating that they should be able to do so. MOP has joined forces with Gibson Gives, MusicCares, Harbor Path, and Solace for Hope to form TEMPO (Training and Empowering Musicians to Prevent Overdose), which has secured donations of 6,000 doses of naloxone for 2024, 2025, and 2026: these will be shared with MOP.
On a local level, Dogwood Health Trust has given Musicians for Overdose Prevention a grant to distribute naloxone throughout Asheville and the greater Western North Carolina area, and every Friday, John and Cinnamon Kennedy hit the road and visit communities in the area, handing off life-saving doses of naloxone to venues outside Asheville’s concentrated music scene. At a recent punk show on the banks of the French Broad River in Asheville, the Kennedys were there giving away naloxone, with the blister packs hung neatly from one of those racks typically used to hold things like bags of candy at convenience stores. There between the t-shirt sales and the beer tents, they were normalizing the presence of naloxone, making it visible and accessible.
Well beyond the relatively small community of Asheville, MOP’s efforts are taking hold. Bands like Pearl Jam, Interpol, and Animal Collective are joining the push for naloxone, and are handing it out on tour. Hikma donated 25,000 doses of naloxone to This Must Be The Place and Live Nation hired them to distribute the naloxone at 25 festivals. MOP and This Must Be the Place attended Bonnaroo in 2023 and handed out 3,000 doses over the four days of the festival; EMS reported that one staff member was saved by a donated dose of naloxone before the festival even started.
This early on, it’s impossible to calculate the impact MOP and others involved in the movement have had, and free naloxone distribution won’t end the opioid epidemic, but it’s a damn good start. Far from the catchphrases of the ‘80s and the anti-drug slogans of the ‘90s, MOP is leading a boots-on-the-ground effort that addresses the reality of addiction and overdose. These are real people doing real work, saving real lives.
You can contact MOP or learn more about them by visiting their website at www.musiciansforoverdoseprevention.org.
How to use naloxone, from the MOP website:
How to administer nasal Naloxone
Step 1: Is it an overdose? Signs: Person not responsive, breathing slow or irregular, pinpoint pupils, does not respond when you rub on their sternum or upper lip.
Step 2: Administer. If it’s an overdose, put the person on their back. Put the tip of the sprayer into their nostril. (Do NOT test or prime the sprayer. This will waste some of the medicine.) Press the plunger firmly to release the full dose into their nose.
Step 3: Monitor. Call 911. Watch the person closely. If they are unresponsive after 2-3 minutes, another dose can be given.
Some notes:
Naloxone is safe. Even if the person is not overdosing, it will not hurt them. Good Samaritan laws in every state protect people who administer Naloxone from lawsuits.
At Musicians for Overdose Prevention, we distribute both Narcan and Kloxodo naloxone sprayers. Note that the Kloxodo is a stronger dose (8 mg as opposed to 4 mg), so adjust your planning accordingly.
THANK YOU for being someone who is willing to save a life.
