ShoreNewsToday.com: Prosecutor and Partnership recognized for drug abuse campaign

8/28/2014

Shown are Sheriff Gary G. Schaffer, Freeholder Leonard C. Desiderio, Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor, Angelo M. Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, and Chief Kenneth W. Super of the prosecutor’s office.CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – An award winning campaign aimed at educating young people and parents about the dangers of heroin has earned the county prosecutor and the Partnership for a Drug-free New Jersey statewide recognition by the National Association of Government Communicators.

The campaign, “Heroin: Are you talking to your kids yet?” was distributed to schools and police throughout the county, as well as covering a billboard on Route 47, said Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor.

“The message is very powerful,” Taylor said. “We’ve got a lot of good feedback from both parents and kids.”

The campaign uses statistics to show the rise in heroin overdoses among 18-24 year olds in New Jersey, and implores parents to speak with their children about the dangers of heroin abuse.

“We are very grateful for the cooperation of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office in helping us solve the opiate abuse epidemic that has gripped our state,” said Angelo M. Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “We remain committed to ending this crisis and look forward to continued collaboration with all of our partners across New Jersey.”

 “We are very proud to receive this award and will continue to work with the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey to reduce heroin usage and increase awareness of its dangers,” Taylor said.

“We would like people to be aware of the amount of heroin usage among young people and the extreme dangers of this drug, including the opiates that lead to heroin.”

The campaign was also used on billboards in Monmouth and Ocean counties, as well as NJTransit buses and trains and PATH stations.

Valente noted that the campaign is the first step in a series of pieces that target the heroin abuse epidemic. Last month, the partnership unveiled a video testimonial of four New Jersey mothers whose children struggled with addiction. The video can be found at www.TalkNowNJ.com .Heroin deaths poster