By KATHY LLOYD

ROSELLE, NJ - Members of the Roselle Everett Hatcher Prevention Coalition, Mayor Christine Dansereau, Roselle Police, School Representatives, and other community supporters, organized and took to the streets on Friday afternoon to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic impacting our state and our community on the second annual “Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day.”

In its second year, Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day increases understanding of the opioid crisis through a mobilization effort with a dual focus: educating physicians and raising awareness among New Jersey citizens and families. The event is a project of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, in cooperation with thousands of volunteers across the state.

The Roselle Everett Hatcher Prevention Coalition took this opportunity “Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day,” to engage the community and families from Roselle about safe prescribing and non-addictive alternatives to acute and chronic pain. 

The group went door to door placing information in the doors of a lot of homes in the area and spoke with a few residents. A billboard was also placed across the street from Roselle Borough Hall stationed on the roof of the downtown business. It states, (4 IN 5 HEROIN USERS STARTED OUT BY MISUSING PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS.)

The following business participating in this event are as follows:

• Members of The Roselle Everett Hatcher Prevention Coalition
• Friendly Pharmacy 
• Health and Wellness Coalition of Union County,
• CVS Pharmacy 
• Mayor Christine Dansereau
• Police Department 
• TAPinto Roselle
• Pinho’s Bakery
• Daphne Jones, Abraham Clark H.S. Parent/Student Liaison 

According to the CDC, opioid pain relievers that are abused were most often obtained via prescription from physicians, and users of prescription drugs are 40 times more likely to use heroin. More than 33,000 people in the United States died of opioid overdoses in 2015, and the number of such deaths quadrupled from 1999 to 2015. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, legitimate opioid use before high school graduation is independently associated with a 33 percent increase in the risk of future opioid misuse after high school. Use of prescribed opioids before the 12th grade is independently associated with future opioid misuse among patients with little drug experience and who disapprove of illegal drug use.

The Roselle Everett Hatcher Prevention Coalition’s mission is to inform, connect, and bring awareness to the youth and families of Roselle of the substance abuse issues impacting our neighborhood through education, prevention, and enforcement in order to reduce and prevent youth drug use.

For more information on the Roselle Everett Hatcher Prevention Coalition, contact Hellen Y. Quesada at 908-868-0489, or email at hquesada@boroughofroselle.com.