Morris Police Chief Shares Moving Letter About Opioid Epidemic

MOUNT OLIVE, NJ — The opioid epidemic has affected towns nationwide, including many of those right here in Morris County. One local police chief is speaking out against it, and offering help to those who need it.

"This past weekend Mount Olive Police Officers deployed Narcan on their seventeenth victim of an opioid overdose. As I am finishing this letter, officers have again administered Narcan to save another life. This year to date in Mount Olive, five people have died of opioid overdoses," Mount Olive Police Chief Stephen Beecher wrote on Facebook. "If not for Narcan, that number would now be twenty three (23). We are in the midst of a public health crisis made worse by the use of fentanyl and carfetanil in heroin as well as in counterfeit prescription drugs sold on the street."

Calling the crisis a "long time in the making," Beecher wrote, describing the history of heroin in the state and how rising costs lead opioid users to switch to heroin:

Individuals that get addicted to opioids typically pay $1 per milligram on the street for diverted prescription drugs. The chemical cousin of OxyContin, Heroin, is cheaper. In New Jersey, a bag of heroin typically costs $5. A “bundle” of heroin (10 Bags) costs $50; a “brick” (50 bags) costs $150. Those that are addicted will frequently switch to heroin to feed their addiction.

The heroin and prescription opioid crisis is now made worse by the introduction of fentanyl and carfetanil into the narcotics market. A kilo of heroin costs approximately $60,000 in New Jersey. A kilo of fentanyl costs $2,500. To make more money, dealers are selling heroin cut with fentanyl, or they are selling pure fentanyl as heroin. Comparing fentanyl to iodized salt, 5 to 6 grains of the drug are enough to put someone into respiratory arrest. Carfetanil has just made its way into New Jersey. One grain of the drug is enough to put an individual into respiratory arrest.

Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for those under 50, he wrote, and 64,000 people are expected to die from am overdose this year. Fear of police shouldn't stop people from getting help.

Under New Jersey's Overdose Prevention Act, anyone who is overdosing, or the person who calls for help, cannot be arrested for narcotics related offenses when they call police for help.

Mount Olive Police Department has gone a step further, creating a partnership with C.A.R.E.S. (Center for Addiction Recovery Education and Success) to connect people with addiction treatment. Those interested in learning more can visit their website, or contact can contact Sergeant Mark Carlstrom at 973-691-0900 ext.7580 or mcarlstrom@mopd.org.

You can read Beecher's full letter below:

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