Narcan

It appears a law signed in 2013 is prompting more calls to 911 in New Jersey.

New Jersey finally saw a drop in the number of overdose deaths last year. That news was delivered by the state's top law enforcement official. The chairman of the State Senate Health Committee said he was encouraged, but not satisfied.

Heroin Wasteland (Part 2 of 5): In an exclusive series on New Jersey’s drug abuse epidemic, we examine the growing problem of heroin addiction in the Garden State and the programs being employed to combat the situation.

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) -- Just as officials across the country are agreeing that it makes sense to hand out an easy-to-administer heroin-overdose antidote to police, families of addicts and drug users themselves, those buying it face a new obstacle. The price of one popular form has doubled in the past year.

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. (AP) -- Authorities say a central New Jersey police officer who recently learned how to use a drug that can help reverse heroin overdoses used it to save two lives in less than a week.

Since September, 237 residents in Ocean and Monmouth counties have learned how to use the nasal spray Naloxone, or Narcan, to prevent opioid overdose deaths.

As New Jersey's heroin epidemic continues to grow, hospital emergency rooms throughout the state are treating a growing number of overdose victims.

Efforts have been made locally and statewide to combat the issue of heroin and opiate abuse in New Jersey, but the fight is far from over.

Narcan has been instrumental in reversing more than 70 heroin overdoses in Ocean County since law enforcement started administering the life-saving nasal spray in April. However, with repeat saves now occurring, its limitations in the war on drugs is becoming apparent.

A deadly synthetic opiate is causing new concern, especially in Ocean County where law enforcement officials are already dealing with a heroin epidemic.