
photo courtesy of the Bergen County Prosecutors Office and the Glen Rock Police
December 12,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ,Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal discussed the sharp rise in drug related deaths in the U.S. since the 1990s at a town hall meeting in Glen Rock last week.
“Last year, hardly a day went by in Bergen County without a heroin arrest, an overdose, or a Narcan save…there’s just more work to do.” – Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal
The presentation is available here: https://vimeo.com/246359764
Overprescribing of opioids causing unintentional overdoses and early death:
91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose.
US providers wrote nearly 250,000,000 million opioid prescriptions in 2013—enough for every adult to have their own bottle of pills.
The majority of drug overdose deaths (more 60%) involve an opioid. Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) quadrupled.
From 2000 to 2015, 500,000+ people died from drug overdoses.
Prescription opioids are used to treat moderate-to-severe pain; in recent years, their use has increased dramatically, despite serious risks and lack of evidence of their long-term effectiveness.
You’ll see remarks from County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal and two survivors of opioid addiction …a recovering addict and his mother. Prosecutor Grewal provided detailed remarks and information about the heroin crisis in Bergen County to citizens from Glen Rock who assembled at the town hall last week.
From the distribution of this dangerous narcotic, to warning signs, and to the county’s unique plan of prevention, enforcement, and treatment, Prosecutor Grewal left attendees with lots of food for thought.
In conjunction with Glen Rock, New Jersey officials, the Glen Rock Police Department – NJ, The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources, and others, this event was one of many public education initiatives conducted by the BCPO. #StopTheODs