In the News
-
cbsnews.com: Overdoses skyrocket as kids eat opioids "like candy"
Posted 11/2/2016
The number of young children and teens hospitalized for overdosing on opioid painkillers have spiked nearly threefold in recent years, a new study finds.
-
app.com: @ISSUE: Is there a fix for addiction problem?
Posted 10/30/2016
The heroin and opioid epidemic in New Jersey and throughout the nation has been spiraling out of control, with the death toll from drug overdoses rising each year and the demand for treatment overwhelming the facilities and resources needed to meet the demand. What is being done to address the problem and what more should be done to start turning the tide? We turned to Debra Wentz, president and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, for some answers.
-
nj.com: Narcan used 18K times on N.J. overdose victims since 2014
Posted 10/29/2016
New Jersey emergency officials have deployed a drug that halts the effects of an opioid overdose more than 18,000 times since its widespread implementation in 2014, new data shows.
-
statnews.com: Drug maker thwarted plan to limit OxyContin prescriptions at dawn of opioid epidemic
Posted 10/27/2016
...an investigation by STAT has found that Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, thwarted the state’s plan by paying a middleman, known as a pharmacy benefits manager, to prevent insurers from limiting prescriptions of the drug.
-
njspotlight.com: NO REIMBURSEMENT FOR OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS IN NJ WRITTEN WITHOUT PLAN
Posted 10/25/2016
New Jersey would be the first state in the nation to hold insurance companies largely responsible for ensuring opioids are prescribed only as a last resort, under a new proposal to help curb the flow of highly addictive medicines that are fueling the state’s heroin and opiate epidemic.
-
consumer.healthday.com: Risk of Opioid Addiction Up 37 Percent Among Young U.S. Adults
Posted 10/25/2016
Young adults in the United States are more likely to become addicted to prescription opioids than they were in years past. And they're more likely to use heroin, too, a new study says.
-
PRESCRIPTION NATION 2016 - ADDRESSING AMERICA’ S DRUG EPIDEMIC
Posted 10/24/2016
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - This is the most fatal drug crisis on record in United States history, and too many families and communities are left to suffer in its path. These highly addictive medicines have been incorrectly marketed as the most effective method for treating pain and, subsequently, liberally prescribed. Prescription opioids also serve as gateway drugs to heroin, which has a nearly identical chemical makeup and is cheaper and sometimes easier to obtain.
-
WEINBERG & VITALE BILL TO COMBAT OPIOID ADDICTION AMONG MINORS APPROVED
Posted 10/20/2016
Requires Discussion on Addiction Potential of Medications Prescribed to Minors
-
nj1015.com - NJ lawmaker targeting doctors who prescribe too many painkillers
Posted 10/19/2016
With New Jersey’s prescription painkiller and heroin epidemic continuing to get worse, one Garden State lawmaker is moving forward with a plan to force doctors and dentists to be more responsible when they’re writing prescriptions for opioid drugs.
-
njtoday.net: Lesniak legislation restricts opiate access in New Jersey
Posted 10/19/2016
Senator Raymond J. Lesniak (D-20), today, unveiled his plan to introduce legislation that is geared at reducing the number of New Jersey residents who become dependent on a prescribed opiate, at a press conference at Eva’s Village, Paterson.