Six Bills to Combat NJ’s Opioid Epidemic Signed into Law
While the majority of people are now receiving their vaccines in the effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, there will never be a vaccine to combat America’s opioid epidemic. Despite COVID-19 grabbing all the headlines for the past eighteen months, American lives continue to be lost to opioid overdoses.
2020 saw some three thousand lives lost to opioids in the state of New Jersey and 2021 shows no signs that the total at the end of this year will be any lower. In the latest attempt to provide some aid to those trying to prevent as many opioid overdoses as possible, Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law the following opioid-themed bills:
S-3491
This bill expands and revises the authority needed for any person or entity to be able to obtain, distribute or administer opioid-overdose antidotes such as naloxone.
S-3803
This bill means permits can be obtained to allow specified paramedics to administer buprenorphine—an opioid which is used to treat opioid use disorder.
A-5595
This bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs to publish the retail prices of specified opioid antidotes.
A-5597
This bill allows school districts to administer health surveys for their students once their parents or legal guardians have been notified.
S-3814
This bill means the Department of Children and Families or local courts can consider the placement of children with kinship guardians or relatives when making a placement decision. It also makes a change to the standards required for initiating a petition to terminate the rights of a child’s parents.
A-5703
This bill requires that certain health insurers—NJ FamilyCare, Medicaid, SEHBP and SHBP—cover naloxone without prior authorization requirements being imposed.
Upon the signing of these bills, Gov. Murphy thanked healthcare and government officials in New Jersey who have “worked tirelessly to erase the stigma associated with opioid use disorder.” He also mentioned how effectively the gaps to opioid-misuse treatment have been closed.
If your life has been affected by opioids in any way, please contact Advanced Rapid Detox. We will help you to flush opioids out of your body in as little as three days—all while under sedation at a dedicated and fully-staffed medical facility.
To learn more, please call us anytime at (800) 603-1813. You can also contact us online in full confidentiality here.