There were 3,046 deaths from suspected drug overdose in New Jersey last year, but recent state data shows that the total number of deaths this year is expected to reach 3,200.

In response, South Jersey Congressman Donald Norcross is pushing for a plan to increase access to methadone to treat opioid use disorders and to modernize the access process.

He said that although the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths is nothing new, the pandemic has made the situation worse. By the end of this year, the total number of drug-related deaths in Garden State is expected to reach the highest level on record.

"These are not anonymous numbers. They are our friends, our family, our colleagues, our relatives, and we must do more for those who are addicted," he said.

His opioid treatment access bill would allow certain doctors to prescribe a maximum of one month's supply of methadone for recovered patients, and allow these people to pick up the medicine at the local pharmacy instead of going to the methadone clinic every day.

Norcross said that asking people to go to a place to pick up medicine and wait in line would disrupt the work schedule, especially if their business location is far away.

He pointed out that people with diabetes do not need to travel long distances and wait in line for insulin, but for those who are addicted, the situation is different.

He said that the FDA approved methadone in 1947, and the last time the regulations were updated was in 1972, so now is the time to modernize its use. Fill out the methadone prescription. "

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, head of the Cooper University Health Care Addiction Medicine Division, supports the proposed legislation.

She said federal restrictions on the treatment of opioid abuse disorders such as methadone usually prohibit patients from using the drug.

"I know very well that in order for our life-saving drugs to work, people need to have better access to them," she said.

She pointed out that the measure also "requires research so that we can prove that these changes can save more lives without dangerous consequences."

Baston emphasized that we need to eliminate the stigma associated with substance use barriers and develop meaningful plans that affect actual changes, and Norcross legislation does both.

He said that changing the way you get methadone will bring a number of benefits, including "less waiting in line, more time to live and better."

Norcross noted that the proposed legislation will also allow the use of telemedicine access for all aspects of methadone care.

"We have learned some lessons from the pandemic and it is clear that there is a way forward that can help more people," he said.

You can contact reporter David Matthew at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com.