New laws give hope in war on opioid addiction

By the end of the summer, every New Jersey resident will be legally entitled to purchase the vital opioid antidote, naloxone, without a prescription. And they can then administer it to anyone they think is suffering from a drug overdose, or share it with others to use on themselves or someone else with an addiction.

It is the heart of one of the half-dozen bills that Governor Phil Murphy passed last week to benefit New Jersey residents battling substance use disorders, as well as their families. friends and family. Other measures are forcing state-regulated insurance companies to cover the cost of naloxone, which health officials hope to make more readily available in pharmacies, schools and other public facilities, and are pushing the Division of state consumption to publish a retail price list for the various forms made available to the public.

Treatment advocates welcome these new laws as well as several recent changes to federal regulations aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding drug addiction, closing treatment gaps and expanding access to essential drugs, including naloxone and buprenorphine , a very effective intervention against opioid dependence.

The developments come as drug-related deaths are on the rise in New Jersey and across the country – fueled in part by the bereavement, loss of jobs and housing, and the economic strains that have accompanied the pandemic of coronavirus.

New Jersey officials announced in March that 3,046 people had died from drug-related causes in 2020, a slight increase from 2019. While overdose deaths here had risen steadily since 2014, officials reported a Slight but measurable drop between 2018 and 2019. But then COVID -19 hits and drug addiction – and associated deaths – started to rise again, up 17% from the previous year in July 2020, NJ Spotlight News revealed.

When signing the bill last week, Murphy said the troubling increase in drug-related fatalities continued through 2021. State data shows nearly 1,100 people were died of overdoses as of April 30, a rate that Murphy says exceeds the deaths recorded for that period in each of the four years.

“We need to reduce these deaths. We’re so far from the end zone, ”Murphy said when signing the bill on July 2.

Expanding Access to Medicines That Save Lives

“Drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with opioids being the most common drug, causing about 70% of all drug overdose deaths,” said Senator Joe Vitale, an advocate for the drug overdose. long-standing addiction services that sponsored several of the bills.

“Many of these lives could have been saved through the use of opioid antidotes,” added the Middlesex County Democrat. “Yet; there are currently only a limited number of people authorized to administer these antidotes. These new laws will expand who can provide antidotes to a larger group of individuals, which will be crucial in saving countless lives. of an overdose. “

The State Department of Social Services, which oversees drug addiction services, has organized several giveaways of naloxone in recent years, distributing some 130,000 doses to the public at drugstores and other sites. State records show that nearly 4,400 doses of the antidote – also known by the brand name Narcan – were administered in the first four months of this year alone.

“We shouldn’t wait for another special program. We should be doing this access year round, ”Murphy said.

Another law approved by Murphy would allow trained paramedics to transport and administer buprenorphine, which can help block opioid cravings, following the use of naloxone to reverse an overdose. Experts note that drug addicts often develop intense cravings after receiving the antidote OD, which can cause them to use drugs again when they are particularly vulnerable.

New Jersey became the first state in the country to allow certain responders to administer the drug under a directive from former state health commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal, and Murphy’s action codifies this concept in state law.

“The bills signed today ensure that cost, location and stigma never hinder access to naloxone for people who use drugs, people who use them and our loved ones,” he said. said Caitlin O’Neill, co-founder of the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, which advocates for treatment and other services, including needle cleaning programs.

Problem in Atlantic City

The coalition is currently working to protect the services of the Oasis Drop-In Center in Atlantic City, which operates a needle exchange and provides medical screenings and other services at a facility run by the South Jersey AIDS Alliance.

City officials have raised concerns over the location of the center – one of seven programs in the state where intravenous drug users can get clean needles, referrals and other support – in the tourist area of ​​the seaside resort. A spokesperson for Murphy told NJ Spotlight News in mid-June that the governor was “committed to ensuring that Atlantic City and area residents continue to have access to these evidence-based, life-saving services. Lives “.

The city council will vote on the ordinance in two weeks

Murphy also said the state budget for the fiscal year that began this month invests tens of millions of dollars in an “interdepartmental, data-driven, compassionate approach” to tackling the epidemic of opioid state, which sends more than 70,000 New Jerseyans for treatment each year. Another bill he signed last week will improve state data collection by allowing school districts to administer student health surveys, with parental permission.

In late June, New Jersey officials joined federal health and drug officials in Atlantic City to highlight the success of a mobile opioid treatment program created as part of a public partnership with the John Brooks Recovery Center which provides buprenorphine and other services to individuals in the county jail. . The Treatment Van is one of 13 mobile programs nationwide, according to the DEA, which took advantage of the event to announce that it had streamlined the registration process to spur the growth of new initiatives.

“We’re very excited about the DEA’s announcement because here in New Jersey we know it works,” said Sarah Adelman, acting commissioner of the state’s Department of Social Services, which oversees substance abuse services. . “Drug-assisted treatment works and treatment is often most effective when delivered directly to the people who need it. With this new rule removing a critical barrier to treating people with substance use disorders, we look forward to seeing mobile treatment programs expand across New Jersey and the country. “