New Jersey’s residents have been noticing an unfortunate growing trend of heroin and opiate abuse over the last several years with no sign of stopping any time soon. In fact, last year there were an estimated 740 deaths In New Jersey which resulted from heroin and opiate.Recently, Governor Chris Christie acknowledged the problem and took time to speak about New Jersey’s growing heroin and opioid crisis. The Governor’s position is that our state, in both the private and public sector’s, needs to embrace a dramatically different approach to substance abuse.
In an interview with NJ Advance Media, the Governor didn’t beat around the bush – he flat out said that the War on Drugs has failed. Christie also said that it is time to start focusing on a system that values treatment over incarceration. The Governor based his position on the body’s chemistry and how some people are predisposed to addiction. Based on this logic, the government needs to start treating it is as disease.
One of the biggest problems is that under our current law, some repeat drug offenders are subject to mandatory incarceration even for these non-violent crimes because of laws like the Brimage Guidelines. However, the Governor pointed out that laws requiring mandatory treatment would yield a much greater result for society in general and for those individuals battling addiction in particular.
The Governor went on to say that New Jersey just is not prepared to handle the current addiction crisis affecting its residents. He pointed out there just aren’t enough beds available in residential treatment facilities for adults battling substance abuse. And for the people who are lucky enough to find a bed, odds are their insurance carrier won’t pay for the treatment. According to federal data, treatment centers in the Garden State have been operating near or slightly above capacity for several years. While the number of available treatment slots has increased over the last decade, so has demand, one that is increasingly being driven by heroin and prescription opioids.
Obviously, there is no immediate solution or easy fix to the growing heroin problem in New Jersey, but the first step is acknowledging that the current approach is not working. Moving forward, New Jersey’s battle with the heroin epidemic will be on a day by day basis.