Several weeks ago, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey issued a news alert recognizing the great progress we have made, noting a 50 percent decrease in the number of overdose deaths in New Jersey since 2022. No one program or strategy can claim credit for all of this success. That progress is the result of a comprehensive effort on local, state and federal levels to raise awareness, engage in prevention and education, provide easier access to treatment and promote recovery.

Unfortunately, this article, “Don’t Pull Apart What’s Finally Working to Curb Overdose Deaths,” written by Libby Jones, associate vice president of the Overdose Prevention Initiative at the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, notes that funding cuts on the federal level put the progress we have made and still need to make in jeopardy.

“The right response to progress is to reinvest and commit to securing a stronger foundation through sufficient funding, resources and support,” she writes. Maintaining full funding to address the opioid crisis is the life-saving approach we must take.

To keep up to date on ongoing efforts to address the opioid crisis in our state, you can participate in the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Learning Series Webinars