NJ Spotlight published the following article on March 14, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
STATE STEPS UP EFFORTS TO HEAD OFF ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS
ANDREW KITCHENMAN | MARCH 14, 2014
Eight months after a state report detailed the growing abuse of prescription opioids and heroin, the problem has reached epidemic proportions — in both the suburbs and the cities — killing an average of more than one New Jersey resident each day.
State officials are stepping up their efforts to curb this plague, but some of the report’s recommendations, which might help do exactly that, are unlikely to become law.
The July State Commission of Investigation (SCI) report found ties between some physician-led “pill mills” and organized crime. Its recommendation: All doctors in the state be required to participate in the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP).
At an Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee hearing yesterday, state Division of Consumer Affairs Director Eric Kanefsky detailed the severity of the situation and some of the steps the state has taken to reduce the threat posed by opioid abuse.