Fentanyl poses death threat to addicts

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey spoke at reentry conference at St. Peter’s University and raised concerns about street drugs.

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Former Gov. Jim McGreevey spoke at reentry conference at St. Peter’s University and raised concerns about street drugs.

Fentanyl may be one of the most dangerous drugs on the streets these days, according to some of the comments made during an April 18 reentry conference held at St. Peter’s University.

Not only has fentanyl replaced heroin in many cases, it is also so dangerous that it has contributed to massive increase in overdoses in the state – this despite the widespread use of Narcan, an overdose recovery system.

“The amount of fentanyl equivalent to three grains of rice is enough to get you high,” said former Gov. Jim McGreevey. “Four grains will kill you.”

In Bergen/Lafayette and Greenville sections of Jersey City, this has become a huge issue, McGreevey said.

McGreevey, director of The New Jersey Reentry Program, said this is one of the takeaways from a conference called “The Road to Salvation from Addiction to Employment.” Panelists explored ways to stop the latest drug epidemic spreading through the state of New Jersey – and through sections of Jersey City.

“3,200 people died of overdoses in New Jersey last year,” said McGreevey.

Fentanyl, which is 100 times more powerful than morphine, appears to have replaced most heroin on the street, and is infinitely more dangerous.

Although the conference included a number of topics and featured a host of speakers including Cardinal Tobin and representatives from various health organizations and city governments from throughout the state, the overdose stats created a sense of urgency among those who attended.

Insidious and invisible

Most addicts do not start out taking fentanyl and may not even know they are taking it at all, since drug dealers often sell fentanyl to addicts claiming it is heroin. Often it is added to heroin to increase its potency. Users think they are smoking, snorting, or injecting heroin, when it may be spiked with any number of substances.

Fentanyl – unlike heroin – can be manufactured locally, often requires no smuggling from abroad.

Some people become addicts through the use of prescription opioids such as OxyCodone or Vicodin, often legitimately prescribed to them for pain. When a person’s prescription runs out, they sometimes seek illegal sources of opioids and later heroin, and end up with fentanyl.

Originally used as an anesthetic, fentanyl started to be used as a painkiller, but is sold on the street by various names such as Apache, China Girl, China White, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfella, Jackpot, Murder 8, TNT, and Tango and Cash.

Drug dealers often don’t even know the potency of the drugs they are mixing and selling, and users who cannot get Narcan or other opioid-blockers in time sometimes die.

The opioid issue, McGreevey noted, actually started out elsewhere in the state.

“Three years ago, the biggest problem areas were Cape May and Ocean Counties, now we’re seeing it as a big issue in urban areas.”

McGreevey said there is discrimination when it comes to perception of users.

“When this is an urban problem, people treat it as a law enforcement issue,” McGreevey said. “When it affects areas outside the cities, people see it as a public health issue.”

McGreevey said urban or suburban, the issue is a matter of health, and users are people who need treatment not prosecution.

One of the key pieces of this year’s reentry conference focused addiction as a medical issue rather than a criminal justice one.

McGreevey said in the past when there was a perception that addiction was exclusively an urban problem many people considered it a criminal justice issue. But the spread of opioids throughout the state and the nation appears to have changed the focus because it seemed to target majority America.

“Three years ago,” McGreevey said, Cape May and Ocean Counties were perceived as the center of the opioid epidemic. But the issue has returned to the cities, and deaths have increased – especially among former addicts coming out of prison.

The Opioid Panel included Dr. Kaitlan Baston of Cooper University Health Care, Dr. Alan Cordona of RWJ Barnabas Health, Dr. Aasqash Shaw o Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, as well as others, including the commissioners of the state Department of Health and Department of Human Services.

This panel discussed the opioid crisis as a medical emergency, and sought to find answers that would help deal with it.

“Addiction is a disease,” McGreevey said. “New Jersey is one of the top five states in the nation of overdoses. We’re seeing an increase in the number of overdose deaths. We need to find long term treatment. This has to be more than just 30 days, it must be 18 months to two years or maybe even three years.”

He said treatment can lengthy if you want to save someone. This has raised issues with insurance companies and other medical providers, who in the past have tried to limit treatment to short duration.

“We’re trying to work with the companies and healthcare providers,” McGreevey said. “This does not have to be residential treatment. But it needs to be longer than 30 days, and patients must have a sustained relationship with their doctors.”

Panel of experts

McGreevey said the conference brought together a number of experts and public officials including Carole Johnson, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, and Shereef M. Elnahal, commissioner of the state Department of Health to discuss these issues with prominent medical professionals in order to help develop strategies for dealing with the problem.

McGreevey said the two commissioners could champion the way to providing medical assistance and treatment, as well as help get addicts treated as patients rather than criminals.

McGreevey, who had a lot of support from former Gov. Christopher Christie, said the Gov. Murphy appears to be fully supportive of these efforts as well. “We also have strong support from our state legislators in Hudson County, all of whom recognize this as a serious issue,” McGreevey said.

The conference also featured a legislative panel that included Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senate President Stephen Sweeny, state Senators Sandra Cunningham and Brian Stack, as well as a number of other legislators from throughout the state.

The U.S Attorney for New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, served as keynote speaker ahead of a panel on criminal justice reform, which was attended by judges, attorneys and other social justice advocates, as well as state Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti.

Some of the discussions at the various panels talked about the business community involved, and development tax incentives for businesses to hire ex-offenders.

“Getting re-integrated into society requires a person getting a job,” McGreevey said. “We’re talking about providing services to people on the margins

For updates on this and other stories check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Al Sullivan can be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com