Bill Text: NJ A3056 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Opioid Abuse Prevention Commission."
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-24 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Human Services Committee [A3056 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A3056-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY J. PINKIN
District 18 (Middlesex)
Assemblyman ROBERT AUTH
District 39 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Coughlin, Cryan, Diegnan, Assemblywoman Stender, Assemblymen Andrzejczak, Wimberly and Johnson
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Opioid Abuse Prevention Commission."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the "Opioid Abuse Prevention Commission."
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established a commission to be known as the "Opioid Abuse Prevention Commission." The purpose of the commission shall be to study the effectiveness of harm-reduction policies in reducing death, disease, crime, and other harms associated with opioid abuse. The commission shall work with the Drug Policy Alliance and any other organization the commission deems appropriate to make recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature regarding the need for and feasibility of implementing harm-reduction policies in New Jersey.
b. As used in this section, "harm-reduction policies" means policies that aim to reduce the health, social, and economic costs of drug use without necessarily reducing drug consumption, and include, but are not limited to, overdose prevention and education programs, evidence-based drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration for drug offenses, sterile syringe access programs, and drug replacement and maintenance therapy programs.
2. The commission shall consist of eleven voting members as follows: The Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, or a designee thereof, who shall serve ex officio; one member of the Senate appointed by the Senate President; one member of the Senate appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; one member of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one member of the General Assembly appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader; one member appointed by the Harm Reduction Partnership of New Jersey; one member appointed by the New Jersey State Nurses Association; one member appointed by the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians; one member appointed by the National Association of Social Workers, New Jersey Chapter; and two public members appointed by the Governor, who shall include one individual with expertise in drug abuse prevention, treatment, harm reduction, or public safety, and one individual who has lost a loved one due to an opioid overdose.
3. All appointments to the commission shall be made within 60 days after the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this act, within the limits of funds appropriated or made available to the commission for its purposes.
4. The commission shall organize within 30 days after the appointment of a majority of its members and shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from among its members and a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.
5. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes. The Department of Health shall provide primary staff support to the Commission.
6. The commission may meet and hold hearings at the places it designates and at the times it so determines appropriate for its purposes.
7. The commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than one year following the organization of the commission.
8. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire on the 60th day following submission of the report required pursuant to section 7 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "Opioid Abuse Prevention Commission," the purpose of which is to study the effectiveness of policies on reducing the harms related to opioid abuse.
In July, 2013, the State Commission of Investigation released a report entitled "Scenes from an Epidemic," detailing the pervasiveness of prescription pill and heroin abuse in New Jersey. According to that report, in 2011, over 8,600 people entered New Jersey drug treatment facilities for opioid pill addiction. Of those patients, nearly half were age 25 or younger. That same year, 6,600 people under age 25 were admitted for heroin addiction. Between 2010 and 2011, heroin and prescription drug related deaths rose 28 and 38 percent, respectively.
The proliferation of opioids, coupled with ineffective drug policies, has had devastating effects on the health and well being of New Jersey residents. The Drug Policy Alliance reports that New Jersey has the fifth highest adult HIV rate in the country, and that 45 percent of HIV infections in the State are attributed to dirty needles. Half of adults and two-thirds of adolescents who want drug treatment cannot access it. Meanwhile, New Jersey ranks first in the nation in terms of the proportion of drug offenders as part of the overall prison population. It is clear that New Jersey needs new policies to address these growing problems.
The commission, which would consist of eleven members, would be responsible for studying the effectiveness of harm-reduction policies on reducing death, disease, crime, and other harms associated with opioid abuse. Harm reduction policies aim to reduce the health, social, and economic costs of drug abuse, without necessarily reducing drug consumption. They include overdose prevention and education programs, evidence-based drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration, sterile syringe access programs, and drug replacement and maintenance therapy programs. The commission would work with the Drug Policy Alliance and other organizations to make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature regarding the need for and feasibility of implementing harm-reduction policies in New Jersey.
The commission is required to issue a final report to the Governor and Legislature within one year after organization of the commission.
