Bill > AJR19

Introduced Session

This joint resolution designates October of each year as "Opioid Abuse Prevention Month" in order to promote ongoing education about opioid abuse, recognize and advance efforts to end this epidemic, and encourage support for those who suffer the effects of opioid abuse. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abuse of prescription painkillers, also called opioid pain relievers, is a "growing, deadly epidemic." Since 1990, drug overdose death rates in the U.S. have more than tripled, with nearly three-fourths of these deaths attributable to prescription painkillers. This unprecedented rise in overdose deaths parallels a nearly 300 percent increase in the sale of opioid pain relievers, such as Oxycodone and Percocet, since 1999. Reports indicate that many people who begin their drug use with prescription painkillers go on to use heroin, a highly dangerous, semi-synthetic opioid drug. The switch often comes when users are struggling with withdrawal and require cheaper, higher opiate doses to ease their symptoms. Studies have shown that the vast majority of heroin users have previously used prescription drugs. The State Commission of Investigation recently reported that New Jersey is in the midst of this prescription pill and heroin epidemic. Between 2006 and 2011, New Jersey drug treatment facilities saw unprecedented increases in the number of individuals seeking treatment for opioid pill and heroin addictions, particularly among those ages 25 or younger. The rise in opioid addiction has had drastic consequences on the health and safety of New Jersey residents. Over the past few years, the number of robberies, assaults, and thefts tied to opioid abuse has risen. New Jersey also has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the country, spurred, in part, by the sharing of contaminated syringes among heroin users. In order to effectively address these issues, greater recognition of the dangers of opioid abuse is needed among lawmakers, law enforcement, parents, community leaders, and all residents of the State. This joint resolution requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe "Opioid Abuse Prevention Month" with appropriate activities and programs.

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Annette Quijano (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document