This academic paper is a systematic review that describes the current state of the literature on community-based opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs), with particular focus on the effectiveness of these programs.
The current evidence from nonrandomized studies suggests that bystanders (mostly opioid users) can and will use naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses when properly trained, and that this training can be done successfully through OOPPs.
Clark, AK, Wilder, CM, Winstanley, EL (2014). A Systematic Review of Community Opioid Overdose Prevention and Naloxone Distribution Programs. Journal of Addiction Medicine. 8(3), 153-163.