Wilding Brands, the local craft beverage conglomerate that bought 31-year-old Great Divide earlier this year, announced Tuesday that it will open a new spot for the brand at 3040 Blake St., #101 in Denver’s River North Arts District. It will take over the space currently home of Stem Ciders’ satellite location.

As the parent company of Stem Ciders, Wilding Brands already operates that space. It will close on Aug. 3 to begin renovations as it transitions into a beer bar and restaurant, according to the announcement.

The business will be run by Vibe Concepts, which currently operates the other three Great Divide locations in Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Lakewood.

Those restaurants serve primarily burgers, sandwiches and other pub grub to pair with beloved beers, like Yeti Imperial Stout and Denver Pale Ale. The Denver location will also serve wine and cocktails, as well as other beverages from Wilding’s portfolio, including Stem Ciders and Howdy Beer lager. Wilding also owns Station 26 Brewing, Denver Beer Co. and Funkwerks.

Unlike Great Divide’s previous spots, this one will not have brewing or packaging equipment of any kind. Great Divide’s beers are now brewed at Denver Beer Co.’s former production facility in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood. That facility is now run by Wilding.

“We’re proud to bring Great Divide back to central Denver with a new taproom and restaurant. Great Divide is a legacy in Colorado craft beer, with such a loyal following here in Denver and across the country,” said Eric Foster, CEO of Wilding Brands in a statement. “The RiNo location is designed to provide a fantastic experience, with a comfortable, inviting interior, great patio, full kitchen, and a huge variety of Great Divide and other Wilding craft beverages to enjoy.”

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Officials recently tested chocolate bars from a brand called West Coast Gold Caps and confirmed the presence of psilocybin, a psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms.” While psilocybin is decriminalized for personal use, cultivation and sharing in Colorado, it is illegal to sell the drug.

These chocolates and similar products “might not be labeled with their actual ingredients and pose a danger to public health,” stated a bulletin from the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses.

That was the case last summer when edibles from a company called Diamond Shruumz poisoned more than 100 people, including a couple in Colorado. The brand advertised with trippy iconography and language promoting “microdosing,” suggesting they contained psilocybin. But because these products are not regulated, it is difficult to know what is in them.

The Food and Drug Administration tested several Dimaond Shruumz edibles and found they contained a compound called 4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, also known as 4-acO-DMT, which is a synthetic version of psilocybin. The FDA also found other chemicals, such as the prescription drug Pregabalin and compounds extracted from the kava plant. Some products contained psilocin, which occurs naturally in psychedelic mushrooms. (Psilocybin converts to psilocin in the human body when ingested.)

If you see intoxicating products that you suspect may be illegal, including West Coast Gold Caps, Denver officials recommend submitting a complaint at Denvergov.org/ConsumerProtection or by calling 311.

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Though many of Trump’s real-world policies and actions were spotlighted in the show – such as defunding National Public Radio, implementing tariffs on Canadian goods, and expressing displeasure with a portrait of himself in the Colorado State Capitol – the animated version of the president indulged in other lewd shenanigans, like trying to have sex with Satan. As in the devil, Satan, who has been a longstanding character in the “South Park” universe.

‘South Park’ co-creator jokes he’s ‘terribly sorry’ over premiere that drew White House anger

In the episode, Satan also questioned Trump about the Epstein files and alluded to the fact that the president reminded him of his ex, Saddam Hussein. The episode ended with a deep-fake public service announcement that showed Trump walking through the desert, taking off his clothes and collapsing nude in the sand. It ended with the slogan: “Trump. His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large.”

In a statement to Variety, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers addressed the cameo, lambasting “South Park” as a “fourth-rate show.”

“The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end – for years, they have come after ‘South Park’ for what they labeled as ‘offensive’ content, but suddenly they are praising the show. Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows.”

“This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention,” the statement continued. “President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”

In addition to skewering Trump, “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone took aim at their parent network, Paramount, which recently settled a lawsuit with the president for $16 million. The president sued CBS News for allegedly editing a “60 Minutes” interview with presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a deceptive manner.

Legal experts said the case had no legs, and “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe" to persuade the government to approve Paramount’s merger with another media company called Skydance. Days later, “The Late Show,” which aired on CBS, was canceled.

In the “South Park” episode, Jesus – yes, that Jesus – comes to warn the citizens of South Park, Colorado, to stop protesting the president or they, too, may get canceled.

“The guy can do whatever he wants now that someone backed down, OK?” Jesus says. “Do you really wanna end up like Colbert?”

Parker and Stone have been outspokenly critical of the networks’ merger, going so far as to say it’s ruining "South Park," in much more colorful language. For now, season 27 seems like it will go on as planned. On Wednesday, the show and network announced they'd reached a five-year deal to make 50 new episodes and move the entire "South Park" library to Paramount+ -- for a reported $1.5 billion.

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All over 14 parking spaces.

In April, the town of Telluride added new paid diagonal parking on a section of its main street, called Colorado Avenue. The 14 spaces are part of an experiment to creatively address an increasing parking crunch, Deputy Town Manager Hayden Brodowsky told The Denver Post by email.

The pilot is expected to run through the fall in hopes of adding capacity during the height of summer tourism and improving safety downtown. The new spots also help offset parking spaces lost due to current construction projects on Telluride’s main thoroughfare.

“With limited public parking options and increasing demand, the town launched this initiative as part of a broader strategy to expand availability, enhance safety, and support local businesses,” Brodowsky said.

The angled spaces, located on West Colorado Avenue between Davis and Aspen streets, replace what was previously a parallel parking zone in front of residential housing. Parking will revert to parallel in the winter to accommodate snow plowing.

But many of the people who own or occupy the homes for part of the year along that stretch of Colorado Avenue have been highly critical of the change, citing safety concerns for drivers and bikers, traffic congestion and negative effects on the town’s aesthetic.

“The diagonal parking creates a negative visual impact as you arrive into town,” said resident Rosie Cusack, who has lived in Telluride for 29 years. Her home abuts the new parking spots and she has seen safety issues both on the road and the sidewalks, which now get crowded with people. “It’s like this terrible vibe,” she said.

Cusack’s primary qualm is that there was an apparent lack of transparency around building the spaces and installing their corresponding meters. She believes that the town is using pilot programs as an excuse to implement new things without community input.

For people who work downtown, however, the spaces have made life easier. Currie Parnell is a guitar tech and sales associate at Telluride Music Company, located less than a block from the new parking spots. He lives outside of downtown Telluride, so he knows just how difficult it can be to find a place to park in the box canyon. The angled spots have been great in bringing customers to the music store, he said, because they are convenient and large enough to fit the kinds of trucks and 4×4 vehicles that typically roll through Telluride in the summer.

“We see a huge influx of business around festivals and July 4th,” Parnell said. “Foot traffic and car traffic picks up this time of year, so it really satisfies that demand.”

In July, an anonymous person or persons posted yellow signs near the spaces admonishing critics and implying that there is a wealth gap between them and those who are in favor of the parking. Homes in downtown Telluride are worth many millions of dollars. Property records show some on the 400 and 500 blocks of West Colorado ranging from $2.1 million to $6.6 million.

“Sorry your generational wealth can’t protect you from angled Toyotas,” read one yard sign. “Diagonal parking isn’t a bad idea, but letting wealth dictate urban planning is,” read another.

Telluride built a parking garage a few years ago to help meet the growing need for parking. Parnell thinks that was a good idea, but also called the angled spots “a quickly implemented solution, which is more straightforward.”

Plus, they generate revenue for the town because the spots are metered, he added.

On Tuesday, critics showed up in force at the town council meeting to express their concerns. One suggested the council members have a “premanufactured positive bias” of the pilot intended to strongarm it into a permanent change. Several said they felt their concerns weren’t being heard.

“Ninety percent of my residential neighborhood – which is two blocks, it’s small – is against this. I don’t know what more we can do to show you guys this,” said resident Erik Dalton during the public comment period.

One attendee accused council member Geneva Shaunette of ethical misconduct for submitting her own – notably positive – feedback of how she thinks the experiment is going so far. Shaunette, who lives on one of the blocks where the new parking spots reside, stated via the town’s feedback form, “I love the diagonal parking because I have only had to park on a side street once this entire summer. Otherwise, I’m able to park within 5 spaces of my front door. As a G permit holder, I have really felt the increase in space.”

The town attorney said Shaunette had not committed any ethical breach, but nonetheless the parking discussion ended with a heated exchange between the council and attendees.

“I identified myself, I made a comment, I don’t think that it’s less valid. I’m not financially benefiting from this in any way,” Shaunette said in the meeting. “We’re obviously having different experiences of the parking, and that’s part of making policy is everyone having different experiences coming together and sharing their opinions.”

Brodowsky, the deputy town manager, said he will continue to collect data throughout the summer regarding usage of the spots, the parking meters and any incidents reported. So far, the Telluride Marshal’s Office hasn’t observed any significant safety issues.

“Additionally, [the marshal’s office] has not received any formal complaints regarding close calls between vehicles and bicycles. The only observed traffic impacts have been brief pauses as drivers reverse out of angled spaces — none of which have led to congestion or documented safety issues,” he said.

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The winners, announced this week, were selected from a pool of more than 8,000 entries, according to competition organizers. In all, Colorado beer makers collected 29 awards — five gold medals, 12 silver and 12 bronze. That’s a decrease from last year, when local beer makers earned 38 accolades.

Judges awarded Bull & Bush Brewery, 4700 Cherry Creek Drive South in Glendale, three gold medals for its Pimp My Rye beer, its Royal Oil barrel-aged strong beer, and Nappy Nap Time tea beer. It also earned a silver and a bronze for a total of five medals – enough to earn the Grand National Champion title.

Other big winners include River North Brewery in Denver, which collected five medals; Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co. in Lafayette, which earned three; and Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. in Colorado Springs, which tookhome three. Several other breweries, including Golden’s New Terrain Brewing Co. and Loveland’s Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, collected two medals.

Notably, Colorado dominated the American IPA category with New Terrain Brewing Co. scoring silver and Cellar West Brewery in Lafayette scoring bronze.

The U.S. Open Beer Championship allows home brewers to compete with professionals, a rarity among contests. It served Castle Rock resident Christopher Burgess well; he scored silver in the Brut IPA category, the same category in which he placed in 2024.

See the local U.S. Open Beer Championship winners below and visit the competition website to see the full list of medal-winning beers.

Gold

Aged beer — Pimp My Rye, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver

Barrel-aged strong beer – Royal Oil, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver

Collaboration beer (lagers) – ¿Cómo Se Dice Nice?, Los Dos Potrillos Cervecería, Castle Rock, and Littleton Brewing Co., Littleton

Old ale – Mountain Man, Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, Loveland

Tea beer – Nappy Nap Time, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver

Silver

American IPA – Lost, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden

American strong pale ale – Lucid AD, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette

American-style fruit beer – Vanilla Black Currant Tart Ale, Los Dos Potrillos Cerveceria, Parker

American-style pilsener – Cerveza Mecania, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette

Brut IPA – Like Falling Off a Bike, homebrewer Christopher Burgess

Collaboration beer (dark beers) – Celestial Death, River North Brewery, Denver, and Third Eye Brewing, Cincinnati

Fruit gose – Prickly Pear Dough Boiz, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette

International-style pale ale – Goldengrass, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden

Non-alcoholic malt beverage – Gruvi Weekday Wit, Gruvi, Denver

Pumpkin beer – Pumpkin Spice J. Marie, River North Brewery, Denver

Specialty honey beer – Honey lager, Lone Tree Brewing Co., Lone Tree

Wood/barrel-aged fruit beer – Huckleberry Hounds, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver

Bronze

American IPA – Langdon, Cellar West Brewery, Lafayette

Barrel-aged quad/Belgian dark ale – Barrel Reserve 2025, River North Brewery, Denver

Brown porter – Patio Porter, LUKI Brewery, Arvada

Coconut beer – Tropic Like It’s Hop, Phantom Canyon Brewing Co., Colorado Springs

Collaboration beer (lagers) – Czech 10 P Lager, Monday Night Brewing, Atlanta, and Cohesion Brewing Co., Denver

Fruit gose – Fresca Muerta, Phantom Canyon Brewing Co., Colorado Springs

Imperial stout/porter – Hello Darkness, River North Brewery, Denver

Nut beer – Pistachio Cream Ale, Platt Park Brewing, Denver

Old ale – Bucket of Bolts, River North Brewery, Denver

Rum barrel-aged beer – The Rum Diaries, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver

Specialty honey beer – Bear Creek Honey Brown Ale, Phantom Canyon Brewing Co., Colorado Springs

Spirits barrel-aged beer (non-whiskey) – Double Oaked Cognac Grow Old With You, Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, Loveland

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The reality dating show travels to cities across the U.S. seeking out singles who are ready to tie the knot. But there’s a catch.

As the name suggests, the premise is to find out “if love is truly blind,” as hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey often say, by having people date without seeing one another. Instead, they have conversations from two individual “pods” separated by a wall. The goal is to build a deep emotional connection and fall in love based solely on personality.

Is reality TV a watch party-worthy sport? These Denver bars bet on it.

Those lucky ones who do then commit to an engagement sight unseen. In fact, the prospective couples can only meet face-to-face once they've gotten engaged. From there, they have four weeks to see if they can make things work long term before announcing whether or not they will stay together at the altar in front of friends and family.

Season nine, which features singles from the Mile High City, will premiere on Oct. 1, Netflix announced Thursday.

The airing has been a long time coming. The Denver cast started filming in February 2024, so once the season debuts, participants will have had more than a year off camera to try and potentially see their relationship through. Each season includes a live reunion following the season finale, so viewers can catch up with the couples and, importantly, see who's still kicking.

Can’t wait until October? Netflix recently announced a new season of “Love is Blind UK” will premiere Aug. 13 to hold you over.

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The bar was airing the season finale of “Love Island USA,” a reality dating show in which attractive Americans spend the summer sequestered in a lavish villa in Fiji swapping spit in hopes of finding a life partner. Fans play an essential role in the show’s outcome by voting for their favorite couples throughout the season. The most popular duo wins a hefty $100,000 prize.

Those inside Tom’s Watch Bar held their breath for a moment of anticipation before erupting with cheers, as — spoiler alert — “Love Island” participants Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were crowned the winners.

“There might have been louder cheers in there when they picked the winners than when Aaron Gordon hit the last-second three-pointer to win a game, literally,” said Tom’s Watch Bar operating partner Dan Stillman, comparing the moment to a Nuggets highlight.

Reality television isn’t something you often see playing in a bar, but as fervor around “Love Island USA” swept the nation this summer, establishments that traditionally broadcast sports seized an opportunity to cash in. By streaming episodes live, just like a game, they not only boosted bottom lines during the otherwise slow off-season but also potentially opened these spaces up to new demographics who are just as passionate as sports fans.

“It was really great to see so many new faces,” said Lyndsey Spano, owner of DNVR Bar, 2239 E. Colfax Ave., which also showed the finale Sunday. “Everybody was really excited, they loved the atmosphere. They loved how many TVs we have.”

Spano admittedly had never seen “Love Island,” which has franchises in the U.S., the UK and Australia. But her social media feed was filled with other bars hosting big crowds for watch parties. She decided to poll her audiences on Facebook and Instagram to see if they’d join a similar event. The answer was “overwhelmingly yes.”

DNVR Bar’s finale watch party packed the house, filling up to its roughly 152-person capacity – a welcome sight in the absence of the football, hockey and basketball seasons.

“We bleed money in the summer,” Spano said. “So it was incredible to have that, and it really helps the bottom line tremendously.”

The bar crowds last Sunday were notably different than a normal game day. Fans at DNVR Bar swapped football jerseys and hockey sweaters for dressier clothing, Spano said. Where Tom’s Watch Bar usually attracts predominantly men for sports, Stillman said it was predominantly women who showed up for the “Love Island” finale.

Denver season of “Love is Blind” gets an official premiere date

The vibe, however, was very familiar.

“It was just like a Broncos, Nuggets, Avs game where, you know, when you hit a goal, people are clapping, people are cheering,” Spano said. “When couples would kiss, when they would say something unexpected, or even if it was a cheesy line, it was lots of laughter, lots of clapping, lots of hollering.”

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In a way, it makes sense that this type of programming would fit aptly into a sports bar, where the atmosphere encourages crowd participation and collective celebration. With abundant TVs – DNVR Bar, for example, has 33 of them – every seat has a good line of sight and the sound systems ensure everyone can keep up with the play-by-play. Or in this case, the famous one-liners from season winner Amaya Papaya, as she is affectionately known.

Still, there are unique aspects about “Love Island” that make it especially great for viewing parties. Unlike most dating competitions, where the contestants are in control of who stays and who goes home, “Love Island” puts those decisions in the hands of viewers. The show incentivizes fans to watch live by having them vote for their favorite couples in real time. Voting windows are only open for a few hours after certain episodes and the couples that receive the least amount of votes typically end up dumped from the island.

As of July 8, more than 5.5 million people had downloaded the Love Island USA app, according to the show’s network Peacock. Fans' voices are not only heard through their votes. Backlash on social media directly influenced producers’ decision to remove a cast member this season.

The frequency and cadence of “Love Island” also contribute to the obsession. It airs six days per week as it’s being filmed, effectively combining elements of live streaming models popularized by platforms like Twitch with the ability to binge-watch if you miss just a couple days. One season usually consists of more than 30 individual, hour-long episodes, so fans get super invested in certain characters.

All that to say, it’s unclear if watch parties for other reality shows will be as successful. Still, Spano and Stillman plan to test it out.

DNVR Bar has "almost every streaming service," so Spano encouraged fans to request what they'd like to see. Once the fall hits, coordinating reality TV alongside sports games could prove tricky, she said, but DNVR Bar has two distinct areas with separate sound systems, so it's not out of the question. That's potentially good news for fans of "Love Is Blind," which will air its Denver-based season later this year.

The “Love Island” finale proved to be the second-busiest two-hour stretch in the last year at Tom’s Watch Bar, behind the Rockies’ opening day, Stillman said. He is now considering showing the “Love Island USA” reunion, scheduled for Aug. 25. Both he and Spano mentioned possibly hosting viewing parties for “Bachelor in Paradise,” which airs new episodes on Mondays throughout the summer.

“We need to think outside the box as a brand,” Stillman said. “We are a watch bar and these are watch parties. This is something that will open us up to more possibilities.”

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The International Whisky Competition, founded in 2010, announced the winners of its annual contest in late June and local distillers made an impressive showing while also keeping step with some of the country’s most notable whiskey producers.

Boulder’s Hogback Distillery won the third best American whiskey overall for its Peat Smoked Single Malt, coming in behind recipes from A. Smith Bowman Distillery and Jack Daniel’s, which placed first and second, respectively.

That specific Hogback spirit also earned a gold medal in the American single malt category, which Colorado makers swept. The silver went to the eponymous flagship single malt from Root Shoot Whiskey in Loveland and bronze went to Diamond Peak from Denver’s Stranahan’s distillery.

Stanahan’s stood out for its aged blends, too, taking home gold and bronze in the “best single malt 10 year and older” category. The winning recipes were the Mountain Angel 10 Year, which placed first, and the Mountain Angel 12 Year, which placed third.

Fort Collins-based NOCO Distillery also made an impressive showing, racking up three gold medals in the “best American small-batch bourbon,” “best American rye whiskey,” and “best American cask finish” categories. The Roper Reserve, from Larado Whiskey in Windsor, nabbed silver in the rye category, as well.

Lastly, the International Whisky Competition ranked the best Colorado spirits entered in 2025 based on their individual scores. Unsurprisingly, Hogback Distillery’s Peat Smoked Single Malt garnered gold, followed by NOCO Distillery’s RYE Whiskey, and Larado Whiskey’s Larado Reserve.

These recent accolades build on a stash that Colorado distilleries have amassed this year from the London Spirits Competition and the American Distilling Institute’s International Spirits Competition.

Thirsty for more? See the full list of International Whisky Competition winners here.

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The 27th season premiere is now slated to air on July 23 on Comedy Central, according to an announcement Wednesday. It was originally supposed to be released on July 9.

Related: Casa Bonita opens summer reservations to strong demand

Stone and Parker — who were raised in Colorado and are also the proprietors of Lakewood’s famed Casa Bonita restaurant — shared a few choice words on social media in response to the delay.

“This merger is a [expletive] and it’s [expletive] up South Park,” they said in a statement, likely referring to the ongoing merger between Comedy Central’s parent network, Paramount Global, and Skydance Media. “We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”

You can see their actual words on Instagram.

That last point alludes to uncertainty about where fans may — or may not — be able to watch the show without a cable subscription.

As part of the Paramount-Skydance merger, the two media companies are working to negotiate terms for the future of “South Park,” according to The Los Angeles Times. The show reportedly has two years left on its deal with Paramount, so new episodes will air on Comedy Central for that time. Paramount+ is supposed to be the exclusive streaming hub for the entire “South Park” catalog as of this year, with new episodes debuting on that platform first.

However, “Paramount hasn’t nailed down the streaming rights” due to factors related to the merger, The LA Times reported on June 13, citing three sources familiar with the negotiations.

For several years, new episodes of “South Park” have been available to stream on HBO Max through a licensing deal, but that expired in June, the publication stated. All that appears to leave the show’s streaming availability in limbo. (A Paramount representative did not immediately answer The Denver Post’s inquiry for details about the show’s delay or where it will stream.)

And it gets messier. Late last month, an attorney for Stone and Parker accused Skydance executives of meddling in negotiations as the show has shopped around for new streaming partners, per The Hollywood Reporter.

“If these activities continue, we will have no choice but to act to both protect our rights and discharge any obligations we may have to the public,” the letter stated in part.

Here’s hoping Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny make it back to the airwaves soon for what promises to be a funny and ketamine-fueled season. Watch the trailer below:

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Naloxone – known to many by the brand name Narcan – can save a person’s life when administered as a nasal spray during a suspected opioid overdose. That’s why the nonprofit The Naloxone Project has been on a mission to make it more accessible as a harm reduction tool both for active drug users and for anyone who may know someone it could potentially help.

The organization stationed its first vending machine at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in Five Points on April 1. On May 27, it opened three more at Denver Police Department stations. They are located at:

• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless Health Center at 2130 Stout St.
• DPD District 2 Station at 3921 N. Holly St.
• DPD District 6 Station at 1566 N. Washington St.
• DPD Police Administration Building at 1331 Cherokee St.

Denver serves as a pilot market to test the vending machine strategy, and so far, Joshua Jacoves, program director for The Naloxone Project, believes it’s a success. As of June 30, people had taken 2,100 free boxes of naloxone from the four machines. Each box or “kit” includes two doses, accounting for 4,200 individual nasal sprays.

While The Naloxone Project doesn’t track the number of individuals who use the machines, it does count how many times each one is opened. So far, the doors have opened 1,101 times. The most used machine is outside the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ Health Center on Stout Street. Jacoves attributes that to its location in a residential area with high foot traffic from at-risk people. It is also the longest-running machine.

“Anecdotally, nearly every time we stock the vending machine, no matter which one it is, someone comes up to us and shares a story about how they’ve already used a dose. Or we’ve seen our kits being used or have been used just lying on the ground,” Jacoves said. “That shows us this program is working and doing what it needs to do.”

The exact locations were decided using data about where demand for this medication is most prevalent.

In April 2024, The Naloxone Project began supplying Denver’s first responders with “leave behind” kits so that whenever they responded to an emergency situation, fire personnel, paramedics, law enforcement and STAR program professionals could distribute free naloxone to individuals they felt might need it. First responders tracked where they left kits and Jacoves’ team compiled that information to determine hotspots in various parts of the city.

The leave behind program built on a relationship between the two organizations that started in 2023, when The Naloxone Project began supplying DPD officers with medicine they could use to treat suspected overdoses onsite. Denver police were interested in this partnership for one reason, said spokesperson Doug Schepman: “Plain and simple, if it can help save a life, it’s a worthwhile partnership and effort.”

The vending machines are the latest initiative by The Naloxone Project to combat the opioid crisis where it’s happening on the ground. The organization first began distributing the medication in hospitals — in emergency rooms, then labor and delivery, and eventually in- and out-patient clinics — before targeting other groups adjacent to health care systems, like emergency systems and first responders.

“As we pushed into that space and we started with our leave behind programs, we knew from the get-go that this would be the first phase in a larger strategy of meeting people where they’re at,” Jacoves said. “We wanted to be able to collect that data so that six months, one year, three years, ecetera down the line, we could look at trends to pre-station naloxone where people need it.”

Going forward, Jacoves hopes to not only set up more vending machines throughout the state, but also “wall units,” akin to cabinets. His goal is to install up to 15 wall units and 4 more vending machines by the end of 2025, both on the Front Range and in rural parts of the state, where access to life-saving interventions can be delayed due to proximity or resources.

The Naloxone Project is also working with Colorado municipalities, health organizations and other agencies to equip first responders with buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid use disorder. While something of a novel concept, Jacoves said offering treatment to those who may be ready is one step toward building a statewide network of care to holistically address the opioid crisis.

“Pairing (access to buprenorphine) with naloxone leave behind and things like pre-stationed naloxone (is) to really be able to let agencies be this big one-stop shop,” he said. “If you’re only here and ready for harm reduction, we’re getting you on harm reduction. If you’re ready for treatment, we want to get you there, too.”

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