In the News

  • SENATOR VITALE ANNOUNCES BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS ADDICTION CRISIS IN NEW JERSEY

    Posted 1/23/2017

    TRENTON – Senate Health Committee Chairman Joseph F. Vitale today announced that he is sponsoring with Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. legislation that aims to address the addiction crisis in New Jersey.

  • app.com: N.J. attorney general clamping down on painkillers

    Posted 1/22/2017

    New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino is using emergency powers to impose some of the toughest restrictions in the United States on painkiller prescriptions, part of an aggressive campaign against drug addiction outlined by Governor Christie that could also include an investigation into relationships between doctors and drug manufacturers.

  • njtvonline.org: Honoring Those Fighting NJ’s Heroin Epidemic

    Posted 1/19/2017

    NJTV honored some heroes in the fight against New Jersey’s heroin epidemic, among them NJ Advance Media’s Stephen Stirling — a recovering alcoholic and the reporter of the newspaper company’s heralded series “Herointown.” In receiving the Everyday Heroes Communication Award, Stirling offered a sobering personal account of losing a friend who was in recovery.

  • app.com: Coronato, five others win Everyday Hero Awards from NJTV

    Posted 1/18/2017

    Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato has garnered an Everyday Hero Award from New Jersey Public Television along with others whose work and advocacy have touched on the heroin and opioid epidemic.

  • npr.org - Anatomy Of Addiction: How Heroin And Opioids Hijack The Brain

    Posted 1/13/2017

    Percocet is the brand name for acetaminophen and oxycodone. Oxycodone is a powerful opioid. It's one of the most commonly prescribed painkillers, and is a key factor in one of the country's most pressing public health problems — an opioid addiction epidemic.

  • Vitale Statement on Governor's State of the State Address and Addiction Crisis in New Jersey

    Posted 1/11/2017

    TRENTON – Senate Health Committee Chairman Joseph F. Vitale, who has spearheaded the passage of numerous bills to tackle the heroin epidemic and continues to lead the effort through education, prevention, treatment and recovery, issued the following statement after Governor Christie's state of the state address...

  • PDFNJ Applauds Governor’s Prevention Plan in State of State Address

    Posted 1/10/2017

    MILLBURN --- The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey applauds Governor Chris Christie for his announcement today during the 2017 State of the State address, highlighting the fact that the majority of heroin addicts first became addicted through the use of prescription opioids and four out of every five new heroin users got started by misusing prescription painkillers.

  • app.com: Advocates, critics react to Christie's sweeping drug plan

    Posted 1/10/2017

    Anti-drug advocates hailed Gov. Chris Christie's pledge Tuesday to make New Jersey's addiction crisis a top job in the final year of his term in office, but there were worries about funding and follow through.

  • wobm.com: Top 10 Jersey Shore Towns with Worst Heroin Problem

    Posted 1/6/2017

    New information from the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the New Jersey Department of Human Services (based on residents seeking treatment for heroin addiction) shows that Toms River saw a 51% increase from 2014 to 2015.

  • abcnews.go.com: Fentanyl Deaths Have Spiked Across the US, With No Sign of Slowing Down

    Posted 1/5/2017

    In the small state of New Hampshire, where there are typically less than 20 homicides a year, more than 400 people died from drug overdoses in 2015, according to FBI crime data and New Hampshire officials. Around 70 percent of those were linked to Fentanyl, according to the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory.