First Lady Mary Pat Christie speaks during fundraising dinner at Bernards Inn. (Photo by Dave Hutchinson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

By Dave Hutchinson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 
on April 22, 2016 at 10:37 AM

BERNARDS — New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie and Acting Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson have formed a partnership with Community in Crisis to combat the opioid epidemic that is plaguing the county and country.

The pair spoke Thursday night during a fundraising dinner at the Bernards Inn for Community in Crisis, a Basking Ridge-based community task committed to halting drug abuse, specifically heroin, and preventing drug-related deaths.

Gov. Chris Christie has been outspoken on drug addiction and Robertson said his top priority is the fight against drug abuse with an emphasis on heroin.

Jody D'Agostini, co-leader of Community in Crisis, said heroin addiction starts with prescription pills in nearly 80 percent of the cases and "addiction can set in as little as two weeks."

"Over the last few years, the governor and I have put an emphasis on changing the conversation about drug addiction," said Mary Pat Christie. "Our mission is to increase the focus on treatment and recovery and the importance of reducing the stigma around the topic."

"We feel strongly that this is a disease and it's not something anyone should be ashamed of."

Robertson, who grew up in Bridgewater and now lives in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, echoed the First Lady's remarks. He said drug education is the key and he wants to revitalize the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or DARE, in county schools.

"We're not going to arrest our way out of this problem," said Robertson, adding that drug addiction has no social or economic boundaries. "Arresting over and over again those individual suffering from drug addiction isn't going to solve the problem. We need to get out in front of this issue and start talking about it in our neighborhoods, churches, schools, homes and most certainly with our kids."

Keynote speaker, Elaine Pozycki, co-chair on the board of trustees for the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, spoke about how her son, Stevie, became addicted to prescription drugs after two shoulder surgeries. He graduated to heroin because it was a cheap high and overdosed. He was 32 years old.

Mary Pat Christie said her husband's administration has instituted several initiatives to combat drug addition including the use Narcan, a drug used to counter the effects of an opiate overdose. It has been used more than 11,000 in the past two years, she said.

The Christie Administration has started a prescription monitoring data base in which doctors and pharmacist can share information with surrounding states to stop addicts from "doctor shopping" for prescription drugs.

Drug court and mandatory treatment facilities will have reached all 21 counties by 2017, she said. Last year, more than 5,000 people received treatment in drug court, she said. Re-entry programs for drug addicts have also been instituted, she said.

"I'm tired of reading about people from my own town, my own high school dying," said Robertson, referring to four former Ridge High students who have died of overdoses in the past six weeks. "We have to change the culture and how we approach this problem."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.