NJ posts promising numbers in fight against opioid crisis

⚫ NJ has recorded more than 1,300 suspected drug deaths in 2024

⚫ The yearly drug-death count has been on the decline in NJ

⚫ Fewer people are being prescribed addictive drugs

Statistics gathered so far suggest New Jersey is on pace to record a significant decline in the number of drug overdose deaths in 2024.

Through the first seven months of this year, New Jersey has recorded 1,169 suspected drug deaths, according to the New Jersey Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner.

During the same time frame in 2023, drug use resulted in 1,581 deaths in the Garden State (25% higher). The count was 1,700 from January through July in 2022.

Statistics show that yearly drug deaths in New Jersey have been on the decline since 2021. The current year is on pace to keep the numbers moving in the right direction.

"We're very hopeful that this will continue," said Angelo Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.

2024 drug deaths

Between Aug. 19 and Aug. 25 of this year, New Jersey recorded three dozen suspected drug deaths. As of Aug. 24, New Jersey's overdose death count stands at 1,305 for the year.

"One death is too many," Valente said. "This is an ongoing issue that needs to continue to have all our attention."

Valente said the current trend appears to be a direct result of multiple efforts aimed at dismantling the opioid crisis. It starts with education and keeping narcotics out of residents' hands in the first place.

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According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the opioid prescription rate has been more than cut in half since 2015.

Over the years, New Jersey has implemented numerous laws related to the prescription of opioids, including warning labels on containers and limits on initial prescriptions.

Experts also attribute the declining death count to increased access to naloxone (an opioid antidote) and harm reduction services in New Jersey.

So far this year, Camden County has recorded the biggest drop in overdose deaths — 35% — compared to the same period in 2023.

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