prescription drug abuse

New Jersey is in the throes of an opioid abuse epidemic said state Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge). There are abuse-deterrent opioids on the market, but health insurers in the Garden State are not required to cover them. Legislation (S-3036) sponsored by Vitale would change that.

Substance abuse is emotionally devastating for loved ones, and the the financial cost can also be extreme.

President Barack Obama will take steps to improve doctor training and ease access to drug treatment as part of an effort to help communities battling the scourge of heroin and prescription painkiller abuse.

After using a drug to reverse opiate overdoses hundreds of times, police in New Jersey have discovered another problem: The people they save often cannot get into treatment programs right away and some go right back to their life-threatening habits.

It's an oft-repeated mantra, but addiction affects more than just the users it entraps. Addicts' families can also be torn apart. Helping them understand the problem is the goal of a charity walk this coming Saturday in Seaside Heights, and the mission of the organization behind the event.

The heroin epidemic that has been taking the lives of teenagers for years is creeping into even younger age groups and putting pressure on the nation's schools to keep a fast-acting overdose antidote within reach of every nurse and teacher.

Adderall, a prescription drug used to improve the focus of those with attention deficit disorder, is being misused by many college students as a study aid, according to Steve Liga, a former New Jersey drug expert.

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.

In part one of a five-part series on New Jersey’s heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic, we examine the growing problem of drug use in the Garden State and what programs are being employed to combat the situation.

As New Jersey's heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic continues to worsen, state lawmakers are looking at ways to fight back.