New Jersey lawmakers hear testimony on a drug that mitigates overdoses' effects

Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in New Jersey. It surpassed traffic fatalities in 2009, when 752 people died, according to a drug policy advocacy group.

Of those deaths, 75 percent involved heroin or prescription opiates, a growing addiction problem in New Jersey and the nation.

Legislators tried to address the issue last year when they approved the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act, a bill that offered limited criminal amnesty to drug users who call for help when someone has overdosed.

They took up the issue again Monday, when the state Senate's Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee heard testimony on a bill that would expand access to a drug that treats opiate overdose. Of the 43 people who showed up to support the bill, at least 14 had lost a family member to an opioid overdose.

Gov. Christie, a Republican and former prosecutor, surprised drug-addiction treatment providers last year with his stance on addiction. He put $2.5 million toward a court-run program that would force low-level offenders with drug problems into treatment rather than prison. New Jersey is the first state to attempt to mandate the strict "drug court" program, which is practiced nationwide.

Yet in October, Christie vetoed the Good Samaritan bill, instead asking his administration to study the problem and report back in 18 months.

The veto perplexed supporters.

"He's talking about second chances. That's exactly what the Good Samaritan bill did," said Roseanne Scotti, New Jersey director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "You can't get a second chance if you're dead."

Since Christie blocked the bill, 17 municipalities have called on the Legislature to override his veto. The bill passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, but GOP lawmakers have prevented override attempts on previous bills. The Democratic-led body must achieve a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override a veto.

Scotti hopes the Legislature will succeed in an override, but she knows the odds are long.

In the meantime, Sen. Joseph Vitale (D., Middlesex), a primary sponsor of the Good Samaritan bill, is cosponsoring a bill that seeks to make an opioid antidote, naloxone, more readily available. Sen. Richard J. Codey (D., Essex) is cosponsoring the bill.

The Senate panel unanimously agreed to move the bill from committee Monday.

Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Christie, did not respond to a request for comment.

It's estimated that only half of those who witness a drug overdose call for help, fearing they will be charged with drug possession, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. The majority of those killed by a drug overdose are white men.

Abuse of prescription pain killers is rampant, and many users switch to heroin, a cheaper alternative, law enforcement officials say. Admissions to facilities for opiate treatment among those 17 to 25 has doubled every two years since 2000, according to John L. Hulick, executive director of New Jersey's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

New Jersey already protects underage alcohol drinkers from prosecution if they call for help during an emergency. That bill was signed into law in 2009.

Ten states and Washington, D.C., have adopted Good Samaritan laws. In Washington state, which adopted a Good Samaritan law in 2010, 88 percent of opiate users said they would be more likely to call for help because of the law, according to a University of Washington study whose findings were issued in November 2011.

When Christie conditionally vetoed New Jersey's bill, he said it failed to "consider the existing approaches to deterrence, public safety, prevention of violence, and the many social problems that accompany the rampant proliferation of drug distribution and use."

By the time the study ends, hundreds more will likely have died from an overdose, Scotti predicted.

For now, Scotti is advocating for expanded access to naloxone. The drug, which can be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, or via a nasal spray, blocks opioids in the brain. It reverses the effects of an overdose, which often include a decrease in breathing that is fatal. Naloxone does not give users a "high," Scotti said; the experience is unpleasant.

The bill, which awaits action in the Assembly, would allow for wider prescription and distribution of naloxone, including to those at risk of overdose and their families or peers. Prescribers would also provide information on how to administer the medication.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that community programs in 15 states that have made it easier to get naloxone have saved more than 10,000 lives since 1996.