Some states are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-to-get prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative. A look at what’s happening in New Jersey, where its use remains a scourge:
THE PROBLEM:
Gov. Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor who has long recognized drug addiction as a disease, says “the war on drugs has failed.” The number of heroin/morphine deaths in New Jersey jumped about 33 percent from 2011 to 2012. Heroin has been the drug of choice among those seeking treatment, though its popularity among this group declined slightly a few years ago. Heroin appears to be on the rise in the suburbs and decline in the cities.
THE NUMBERS:
New Jersey recorded 591 heroin/morphine deaths in 2012, up from 443 deaths the previous year, according to the state attorney general. In Ocean County, which includes parts of the Jersey Shore, heroin deaths have more than doubled from 53 in 2012 to 112 in 2013, the county prosecutor’s office said.
The number of people living in the suburbs who seek treatment for heroin abuse has been rising steadily, while the number living in cities who seek treatment has declined. According to the state Human Services Department, 15,760 suburban residents sought treatment for heroin abuse in 2012, compared with 9,659 in 2006. Urban residents who sought treatment for heroin reached 12,562 in 2007 and dropped to 9,682 in 2012. Earlier data shows heroin remained the most abused drug among those seeking treatment through mid-2010, though the overall percentage claiming heroin as their drug of choice declined slightly from mid-2006 through mid-2010.
THE RESPONSE:
Christie says the war on drugs was well-intentioned. “But incarcerating people for drug-related problems, especially nonviolent folks, has been an abject failure,” he said. “The only way to solve this problem - or event put a dent in it - is through treatment.”
The governor has included funding in the state budget to phase in a program that requires treatment rather than incarceration for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders.
Christie signed a bill into law allowing friends and family members of addicts to administer the overdose antidote naloxone, marketed as Narcan, without fear of prosecution. He also recently signed a waiver allowing first responders in New Jersey to carry and administer Narcan. Police officers in Ocean and Monmouth counties are the first law enforcement officers in the state to be trained to administer the antidote drug.
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