New Jersey Law Enforcement Combats Heroin Epidemic, Warns About Recent Heroin Overdose Deaths

Officers in New Jersey recently issued a warning about several lethal brands of heroin which have resulted in the overdose deaths of at least six people.

Police have become aware of wax folds stamped with “Strike Dead,” “Power Hour,” and “Taliban.” These wax folds are reportedly being sold on NJ streets heroin. The illegal drugs are also reportedly being sold in New York and Pennsylvania. New Jersey state police have identified these brands as the cause of several recent heroin overdose deaths; the drugs allegedly contain a particularly potent, and lethal, mixture of drugs.

Authorities were able to identify the lethal strains of heroin with the assistance of the Drug Monitoring Initiative (DMI). The multistate program includes agencies in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. These agencies are able to share information about illegal drugs; this allows them to quickly identify potentially lethal drug mixtures and then spread the word about the dangerous drugs. New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jay Hoffman has called the DMI “a common sense, life-saving program that sounds the alarm when we identify lethal drug brands being peddled on our streets.”

The DMI has become a vital cog in the fight against drug abuse. This is especially important because heroin and opioid abuse have caused more than 5,000 deaths in New Jersey alone during the last decade. Worse yet, heroin-related deaths in New Jersey are on the rise in recent years.

NJ law enforcement is attempting to combat the rise in heroin overdose deaths by administering Narcan when necessary. Narcan, or naloxone, is an opioid antidote. However, the life-saving drug has proven to be ineffective against the more lethal strains of heroin.

Moreover, many drug users are at increased risk of death because they are unaware of the dangers posed by certain brands of heroin. The hope is that the DMI’s warning about the most lethal brands of heroin on NJ streets will give New Jersey residents a fighting chance.

For further information, access the NJ.com article entitled “Tainted Heroin Kills 6, N.J. Issues Warning About 3 Deadly Brands.”