State saw steep drop in drug overdose deaths

Murphy announces plan to increase addict help

By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... The number of drug overdose deaths in New Jersey dropped significantly in 2023 after years of surging during the opioid crisis, state officials announced Thursday. [02/15/2024]
..... There were 2,564 suspected overdose deaths in 2023, down from 3,054 confirmed in 2022, according to data from the sate police and the state Health Department.
..... The drop comes just two years after New Jersey saw a record-high number of overdose deaths, with 3,144 in 2021during the COVID-19 pandemic. Counselors say drug use increased at that time largely due to anxiety and depression brought on by social isolation and fear of getting sick.
..... With the encouraging decline as a backdrop, Governor Phil Murphy on Thursday [02/15/2024] announced a $95 million plan over then next three years to increase services for addicts.
..... The $95 million is part of a much larger pot of money from legal settlements with drug manufacturers, drug distributors and pharmacy chains that is expected to reach more than $1 billion for New Jersey by 2038.
..... "It's a good thing from the number of deaths that's over 3,000 going to the number of deaths under 3,000," Murphy said at a news conference in Newark.
..... "Just think about that, These are - each and every one of them -p precious lives. anything north of zero is unacceptable."
..... The drop is a welcome relief for a state that had seen overdose deaths skyrocket over the course of a decade, as more people became addicted to prescription painkillers, mirroring a national trend.
..... Overdose deaths tripled from 1,096 in 2012 to more than 3,000 in recent years, Health Department date showed.
..... About half of the opioid settlement money will go to programs run by state government, with the remainder going to counties and municipality. Unlike the tobacco settlement windfall of the 1990s, all of the opioid settlement is earmarked for addiction treatment.
..... "Not a dollar will be spent filling budget holes or potholes," said Sarah Adelman, commissioner of the Department of Human Services.
..... The $95 million will be sued for several intransitives, including $24 million over two years to expand "harm reduction" programs that offer services like clean syringes, and $17.5 million to expand operation at New Jersey's 22 Community Peer recovery Centers, where support groups meet and one-on-one counseling occurs.

Suspected overdoes deaths by county in 2023

* Atlantic, 179
* Bergen, 130
* Burlington, 128
* Camden, 326
* Cape May, 33
* Cumberland, 76
* Essex, 447
&Gloucester, 82
* Hudson, 186
* Hunterdon, 11
* Mercer, 108
* Middlesex, 145
* Monmouth, 135
* Morris, 69
* Ocean, 69
* Passaic, 134
* Salem, 28
* somerset, 31
* Sussex, 23
* Union, 95
* Warren, 27

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