Press Release                                                                                                                        Contact: Angela Conover
September 9, 2016                                                                                                                 conover@drugfreenj.org
                                                                                                                                                201-916-1030

Millburn, NJ – A New Jersey radio Public Service Campaign (PSA) "Before They Prescribe, You Decide" geared at educating parents New Jersey on the link between prescribed prescription pain medicine and heroin abuse and encouraging them to speak to their doctor regarding the addictive qualities of pain medicine and the possible alternatives, will be launched this month by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey with the support of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association.

Thanks to the support of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association, New Jersey has been raising public awareness of these crises for over 7 years. NJBA President Paul S. Rotella, Esq., explains: “Working with the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey, US Attorney Paul Fishman, the DEA and NJ Prevention Network, New Jersey has led the nation in educating and raising public awareness of this growing epidemic through a series of anti-opioid PSA’s and Public Education Program (PEP) messaging.” The campaign created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) comes on the heels of a study of parents of New Jersey middle school students which found that nearly one in three parents of New Jersey middle school students do not believe there is a link between pain killers prescribed for things like sports injuries and wisdom tooth removal and the rising use of heroin in New Jersey.

The study also found that less than 50 percent of parents feel they are knowledgeable about heroin.

“Parents in New Jersey must take heed, prescription drug abuse is happening in our homes and in many cases leading to heroin abuse– unfortunately no family is immune from this epidemic,” said Angelo M. Valente, executive director of PDFNJ.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid pain relievers that are abused were most often obtained via prescription from physicians. Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137%, including a 200% increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids and users of prescription drugs are 40 times more likely to use heroin.

“Awareness and education is the key factor in preventing the abuse of opiates,” explained Valente.

Since 2009, the NJBA has donated and sponsored over $4,000,000.00 in airtime to educate the public and help combat substance and opioid abuse in New Jersey. Recently, the NJBA, PDFNJ, and Morris County Prevention is Key’s CARES -NJ launched a campaign to information on receiving free hands-on education on how to recognize an opiate overdose, and to subsequently provide lifesaving rescue measures to reverse the effects of an Opioid overdose, including the administration of naloxone.

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About The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey

Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce the demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $70 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered 120 Advertising and Public Relations Awards from National, Regional & Statewide Media Organizations.

The New Jersey Broadcasters Association is the trade association for the Radio and TV Industry in the State of New Jersey. It is  the voice of New Jersey broadcasters on Capitol Hill and in Trenton.   Through its exclusive Public Education Program, (PEP) the NJBA offers government agencies and non-profits a precious opportunity to communicate their public service messaging, efficiently and affordably, and with the unmatched media impact that only radio and television can offer.  The organization was founded in 1946 by several major New Jersey radio stations and has since grown to Radio and TV stations in the state and many Radio and TV stations in neighboring New York City and Philadelphia.