Testimony: New Jersey should invest generational opioid settlement funds in public health approach to drug use

Written Testimony to the New Jersey Opioid Settlement Advisory Council Dear Members of the New Jersey Opioid Settlement Advisory Council, It’s widely recognized that we won’t be able to arrest our way out of the overdose crisis and that drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal one. With opioid settlement funds, New … Read more

40+ Public Health, Recovery, & Racial Justice Orgs Oppose New Harsh Fentanyl Penalties (S-3325)

On Wednesday, public health, recovery, and racial justice organizations sent a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, along with legislative leadership and Governor Murphy, urging them to oppose Senate Bill 3325, which proposes harsh new penalties for fentanyl. The bill will be heard by the Senate Budget Committee at its hearing today at 1pm. “The … Read more

EMERGENT: Drug Supply Disruption in Camden, Burlington, Ocean, Cape May, & Gloucester Counties

On Thursday, April 27, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey shut down a pain treatment practice in Cherry Hill that was serving 300-400 patients across Camden, Burlington, Ocean, Cape May, & Gloucester Counties.For anyone who uses secondhand prescription medicines in these counties (i.e., not directly from the pharmacy or a script in your … Read more

New Report – $1.0 billion in annual healthcare costs from preventable injection-related infections in New Jersey

Without access to harm reduction supplies, New Jerseyans who inject drugs are at risk of infection, hospitalization, and preventable death, according to a new report released today by New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition (NJHRC). The report, Preventable Harms: Injection Drug-Use Related Infections in New Jersey, reviews data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project and … Read more

Harm Reduction Advocates, Murphy Administration, & Mayor Baraka Launch National Memorial as Overdose Deaths Climb to an All-Time High

Today on International Overdose Awareness Day, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, and Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli joined Vital Strategies and advocates from Newark Community Street Team and the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition to unveil the first installation of a traveling national Overdose Memorial. Located at Newark … Read more