New Jersey Enacts Laws to Protect Opioid Settlement Funds
June 25 2024 - 11:05AM
New Jersey's state legislators and Governor Murphy have taken steps
to safeguard opioid settlement funds, enacting 'no supplantation'
laws to ensure these monies are used exclusively for opioid
education, prevention, treatment, assistance for affected families,
and harm reduction efforts. The initiative, supported by the
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), aims to prevent the
misdirection of settlement money to other purposes.
New Jersey has a history of efforts against the opioid crisis.
The state was the first to implement a drug take-back program, a
model now adopted nationwide. Additionally, New Jersey introduced
the Right to Know law, which requires doctors to discuss the risks
of opioid dependency and the availability of safer alternatives
with patients. Twenty other states have since adopted this law.
Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ, highlighted the
importance of these measures. "New Jersey has taken significant
steps to address opioid abuse. The 'no supplantation' laws are
critical in ensuring that settlement funds are used appropriately
to combat this epidemic," he said.
The FED UP! Coalition, a grassroots organization founded by
parents who lost children to opioid overdoses, has also been vocal
in urging other states to implement similar protections. The
coalition warns that without clear legislation, many states risk
misusing settlement funds, as seen with the 1998 Tobacco
Settlement, where only a small portion of the money was used for
its intended purpose.
"Every dollar from these settlements must be used to fight the
opioid epidemic," Valente said. "It's crucial that states enact
legislation to ensure these funds are spent on efforts that will
genuinely help end this crisis."
Further information can be found at
www.feduprally.org.
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Best known for its statewide substance use
prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free
New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals
from the communications, corporate and government communities whose
collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New
Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million
in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the
Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public
service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its
inception, the Partnership has garnered 226 advertising and public
relations awards from national, regional and statewide media
organizations.
Lisa Batitto
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
news@drugfreenj.org