Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death nationally and in New Jersey, with more than 3,000 New Jersey residents dying from overdose each year. Many of these deaths are preventable and as you know, DPA works to promote policies that will help save lives through our Overdose Prevention Campaign. DPA will be launching a campaign in support of legislation (Senate Bill 3293 / Assembly Bill 4638) to establish overdose prevention centers (also known as safe consumption spaces) in response to the devastating loss of life.

Overdose prevention centers are locations where people can legally consume previously purchased drugs under the supervision of trained staff.  The staff are able to provide immediate assistance in the case of an overdose and connect people to drug treatment, medical care, social services and harm reduction services.  Fear of arrest and prosecution, as well as the stigma attached to drug use, force people to hide their drug use or use drugs in unsafe conditions.  If these barriers were removed, countless lives could be saved.

Please mark your calendars and save-the-date as Drug Policy Alliance is hosting a conference at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on Friday, April 5th at 10:00 am.  Join us to learn from an expert panel of public health officials, researchers, legal experts, and community leaders on innovations in overdose prevention.  The event will take place at TCNJ, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ 08628 in the School of Education Building #115. For more details, please see the flyer below.

Admission, lunch and CEUs are free, but space is limited, so please RSVP to reserve your spot!