New Jersey drug overdose deaths fall, state leaders credit expanding harm reduction and treatment efforts

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The number of fatal drug overdoses in New Jersey is falling, according to preliminary data, and officials are crediting the state’s investment in harm reduction tools and expanded access to treatment options.

For the first time in a decade, New Jersey public health experts say drug overdose deaths declined across all racial and ethnic groups between 2022 and 2023 after years of major losses driven by powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

New Jersey recorded 2,816 overdose deaths in 2023, down from 3,171 deaths in 2022.

The new findings fall in line with a nationwide trend of fewer drug-related deaths, where most states are seeing drops in fatal outcomes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston said science and research outcomes guided the state’s approach to addressing the addiction epidemic in communities.

“The reduction in overdose deaths coincides with our expanded harm reduction infrastructure, increased access to medications for opioid use disorder, and broader naloxone distribution,” Baston said in a statement.

In addition to distributing fentanyl test strips, sterile syringes and naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, Baston said the harm reduction infrastructure now includes harm reduction centers.

These community-based centers provide safe supplies and point-of-use testing materials, as well as health care services, medications for opioid use disorder and other social supports for basic needs.

New Jersey is expected to receive more than $1 billion in settlement funds from national lawsuits against drug companies that were accused of fueling the opioid epidemic. The state has already used some money to support the harm reduction centers.

Currently, 30 sites are operating throughout the Garden State, “with another 23 sites authorized to open,” state officials said.

“By paying attention to the data and prioritizing harm reduction strategies over the past seven years, we have built a framework of supports to reduce the harms of substance use, streamline access to treatment and support families in recovery,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

Public health experts called the recent data promising, but added that racial disparities remain. The overdose death rate among Black residents is still twice as high compared to white residents, according to state officials, and substance use disorders are the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths.