Accidental Death in New Jersey |
Posted: March 22, 2019 |
New Jersey has so much going for it. The garden state has a personality all of its own, and as anyone who spends time at the shore, the beaches can hold their own anywhere. In many ways New Jersey is much like any other east coast state, the pace of life if fast and people know how to work hard and play hard too. Sadly, like anywhere else NJ has too many accidental deaths. What is really devastating is in New Jersey, the leading cause of accidental death is not traffic accidents or swimming fatalities. The leading cause of accidental death in NJ tragically is drug overdoses. How serious a problem is it? Since 2004 there have been 14,000 overdoses. That means 14,000 families ripped apart at the death of a loved one. 14,000 deaths which in some way were avoidable. 14,000 people who should be alive today. The rate of overdose in NJ is 3 times the national average and for the fourth consecutive year, the number of fatalities has broken the record from the previous year. In 2018 at least 3,163 people died from an overdose. There are towns in NJ with a smaller population than that. It isn’t just New Jersey Of course, what is happening in New Jersey is just what is happening elsewhere, writ small. Country-wide there were over 40,000 deaths from drug overdoses in 2017 and the number continues to grow. The current estimates that as many as 128,000 people in NJ are addicted to heroin. Putting tax dollars into Narcan Narcan is an opioid overdose antidote. It is carried by those who respond to overdose emergencies and in NJ alone the state estimates that 15,000 lives were saved by the use of Narcan. While that is some small success it doesn’t mitigate the size and scope of the problem. If 1.4% of the population is addicted, there has to be action taken before it gets to the point where Narcan is required. Prevention and help The state sees the issue as being of such criticality there are big plans afoot. One of the ways in which the state is attacking the problem is to help with medication-assisted treatment. The idea is to substitute opioids with other drugs. The aim is to help the addict survive the cravings and so exposing themselves to the dangers of overdose. It is a controversial plan.
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