Today, President Trump declared opioid abuse a national emergency.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is continuing its efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, most notably through the second annual Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day being held on October 6^th.

Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day is a project of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, in cooperation with the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Addiction Services; and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris.

The single-day initiative, held in communities throughout the state, will mobilize families, members of the prevention and treatment communities, community leaders and concerned citizens to raise awareness of the potential for dependency on prescribed pain medicine and the link to heroin abuse rates in New Jersey. The effort will focus on both informing physicians and raising awareness among New Jersey residents.

Last year’s event (then called Knock Out Opiate Abuse Day) achieved great success as more than 2,000 volunteers statewide delivered important messages on opioid abuse prevention to healthcare providers and to residents in their communities.

The initiative earned statewide acclaim, as the Senate and General Assembly passed a joint resolution declaring October 6 as Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day in New Jersey in perpetuity.

PDFNJ will be at the CDC’s 2017 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media, next week, sharing the success of the 2016 Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day.

Following this week’s release of a report showing that overdoses have hit a record high, with mortality rates 24 percent higher for opioid overdoses and 22 percent higher for heroin overdoses than previous reports, we all have to work together to stem this epidemic.

I invite and encourage you to participate in the 2017 Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day. Sign up today to be connected with the volunteer coordinator in your community, or attend a volunteer training that will be held over the next few weeks, in Morris County on August 15, and in Gloucester County on August 30.

Sign up today to be part of the solution to knock out opioid abuse in New Jersey. 

Reminders:

There are four days left in the Don’t Get Hooked on Drugs Online New Jersey Family Fishing Tournament. For information on how to participate, visit drugfreenj.org/news/3rd-annual-dont-get-hooked-drugs-fishing-contest.

Act fast to request folders for the PDFNJ Fourth Grade Folder initiative. Folders are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and will soon run out due to the high number of requests. For more information on the program and to request folders, visit drugfreenj.org/2017-fourth-grade.