Confronting New Jersey’s New Drug Problem: A Strategic Action Plan to Address A Burgeoning Heroin/Opiate Epidemic Among Adolescents and Young Adults

The skyrocketing use of heroin and other opiates has become the number one health care crisis confronting New Jersey. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive and multidisciplinary plan of action to address the prescription drug and heroin epidemic, on March 20, 2012, the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse established a Task Force on Heroin and Other Opiate Use by New Jersey’s Youth and Young Adults. The Task Force was charged to present a report with actionable recommendations that would help to stem the tide of this horrific scourge.