Lawmakers and law enforcement are joining forces to combat New Jersey's ongoing epidemic of heroin and opiate abuse.

Heroin
Spencer Platt, Getty Images
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At a roundtable discussion at the Ocean County Health Department last week, State Senator Bob Singer (R-30) said the 21-bill package being presented to state lawmakers is a big job, but it has to be done.

"This is all encompassing," said Singer.  "We're trying to deal with the addiction aspect of it, how someone is dealt with if they come into the hospital from a Narcan episode and how we help them get into treatment, to dealing with additional funding, dealing with insurance companies, and dealing with prevention."

Some of the bills do deal with limited decriminalization in that they seek to help addicts get into treatment instead of going to jail, but Singer says that's only for certain cases.

"We're not talking about people who commit violent crimes.  Those people are going away, we're not even dealing with that," Singer said.  "We're talking about the addict who's found with the opiates or the narcotics himself.  It is far cheaper to treat that addict, to get him off of the opiates... than it is to incarcerate."

Last week's roundtable also involved State Senator Joe Vitale (D-19), who is the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee and sponsors the 21-bill anti-drug package, along with  involved representatives from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and members of the healthcare community.  Similar roundtables are planned in communities around the state.

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