Bill Text: NJ SR98 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges County Prosecutors to require all law enforcement officers be equipped with naloxone.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-14 - Filed with Secretary of State [SR98 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SR98-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Urges County Prosecutors to require all law enforcement officers be equipped with naloxone.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging County Prosecutors in each county to require all law enforcement officers in the county 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, According to recent reports, deaths due to drug overdoses are on pace to become the sixth-leading cause of death in this State, with 1,862 suspected drug overdose deaths already recorded in 2018, as of August; and
Whereas, This State is on pace to far surpass the number of deaths due to drug overdoses recorded in 2016 and 2017; this increase is almost entirely due to the opioid crisis, which accounted for more than 85 percent of drug-related deaths in 2016, according to reports; 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, Emergency officials in this State administered naloxone more than 14,000 times in 2017 and more than 7,000 times in 2018, as of June 30; 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 Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the County Prosecutor in each county to require all law enforcement officers in the county 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
Secretary of the Senate 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. According to recent reports, deaths due to drug overdoses are on pace to become the sixth-leading cause of death in this State, with 1,862 suspected drug overdose deaths already recorded in 2018, as of August.
This State is on pace to far surpass the number of deaths due to drug overdoses recorded in 2016 and 2017. This increase is almost entirely due to the opioid crisis, which accounted for more than 85 percent of drug-related deaths in 2016, according to reports.
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. Emergency officials in this State administered naloxone more than 14,000 times in 2017 and more than 7,000 times in 2018, as of June 30.
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.
