NJ Drug OD Deaths Hit 3,000 For First Time: These Areas Hit Hard

New Jersey hit an unfortunate milestone in 2018 with more than 3,000 overdoses – the first time the state reached that level.

State officials reported this week that New Jersey had 3,163 overdose deaths in 2018 – a 15 percent increase over the previous year when there were 2,750, according to the Office of Attorney General (see list of NJ areas impacted by overdose deaths below).

Once again, the Jersey Shore, where police departments and prosecutors say they're experiencing a sharp rise in opioid-related crimes, found itself ranking high on the list.

Indeed, Monnmouth, Atlantic and Ocean counties were ranked third, fourth and fifth out of 21 counties in terms of overdose deaths. Monmouth County had an increase of 30.4 percent over 2017, Atlantic had 29.2 and Ocean had 13.6, according to the OAG.

Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal has said his office is making a greater efffort in providing new data on the opioid epidemic’s impact on New Jersey. Going public, he said, helps reveal what the state is doign to save residents from opioid addiction, overdose and death.

Grewal noted recently that, although drug overdose deaths in New Jersey contiue to rise, the number of opioid prescriptions processed has dropped dramatically.

“In the Murphy Administration, we are committed to being transparent and educating the public about the costs that the opioid epidemic has imposed on our State,” he said. “We still lose too many of our residents to drug overdoses, and the death toll continues to rise. But, if we look at the numbers, there are reasons for hope.”

Here are the NJ counties and the number of overdose deaths, ranked from biggest increase in 2018 to smallest:

1. Salem 60.0% 32
2. Passaic 53.7% 206
3. Cumberland 48.7% 113
4. Mercer 39.6% 148
5. Monmouth 30.4% 223
6. Atlantic 29.2% 217
7. Hudson 27.2% 187
8. Bergen 19.8% 157
9. Union 16.8% 153
10. Gloucester 16.3% 143
11. Ocean 13.6% 217
12. Essex 8.3% 392
13. Morris 7.9% 96
14. Burlington 7.3% 161
15. Camden 4.9% 323
16. Somerset -1.9% 51
17. Sussex -5.4% 35
18. Hunterdon -8.7% 21
19. Middlesex -10.2% 211
20. Warren -16.7% 30
21. Cape May -20.3% 47

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