Bill Text: NJ AR110 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges county prosecutors to require law enforcement officers in county to be equipped with naloxone.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-2)
Status: (Passed) 2018-04-12 - Filed with Secretary of State [AR110 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR110-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN ARMATO
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblyman VINCENT MAZZEO
District 2 (Atlantic)
SYNOPSIS
Urges county prosecutors to require law enforcement officers in county to be equipped with naloxone.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging county prosecutors to require all law enforcement officers in their respective counties to be equipped with naloxone.
Whereas, The number of people struggling with heroin and opioid addiction continues to grow across this State; and
Whereas, A New Jersey Advance Media investigation found that in 2015, there were at least 128,000 people in this State addicted to heroin or prescription opioids, and State data indicate that in 2016, 31,714 people sought treatment for heroin or prescription opioid addiction as of October; and
Whereas, There were 781 heroin-related overdose deaths in this State in 2014, marking the fourth straight year that the total increased; and
Whereas, Emergency officials have deployed a drug, naloxone, also known as narcan, that halts the effects of an opioid overdose; and
Whereas, The use of naloxone helps reduce the number of deaths from drug overdoses each year and the earlier the drug is administered, the better chance there is for success; and
Whereas, A recent media report stated that emergency officials in this State have deployed naloxone more than 18,000 times since its widespread implementation in 2014; and
Whereas, In 2016, the life-saving drug has been deployed an average of 21.8 times per day as of September, putting it on pace to be utilized nearly 8,000 times by the end of the year; and
Whereas, Based upon these figures, emergency officials are responding to heroin or opioid overdoses every day throughout the State; and
Whereas, Equipping all law enforcement officers in the State with naloxone would allow them to quickly administer this life-saving drug, thereby reducing the number of tragic heroin or opioid-related deaths in this State; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges county prosecutors to require all law enforcement officers in their respective counties to be equipped with naloxone, also known as narcan.
2. Copies of this
resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the
Clerk of the General Assembly to each county prosecutor in this State and the
Attorney General.
STATEMENT
This bill urges county prosecutors to require all law enforcement officers in their respective counties to be equipped with naloxone, also known as narcan.
The number of people struggling with heroin and opioid addiction continues to grow across this State. In 2014, there were 781 heroin-related overdose deaths in this State, marking the fourth straight year that the total has increased.
Emergency officials have deployed naloxone, which halts the effects of an opioid overdose. The use of naloxone helps reduce the number of deaths from drug overdoses each year and the earlier the drug is administered, the better chance there is for success. In 2016, the life-saving drug has been deployed an average of 21.8 times per day as of September, putting it on pace to be utilized nearly 8,000 times by the end of the year.
Based upon these figures, emergency officials are responding to heroin or opioid overdoses every day throughout the State. Equipping all law enforcement officers in the State with naloxone would allow them to quickly administer this life-saving drug, thereby reducing the number of tragic heroin or opioid-related deaths in this State.
