New Jersey
It should be noted that these pages are not intended as an academic reference. The data collected is from State and Federal sources.
New Jersey Addiction Treatment Statistics
In 2010, New Jersey had 70,121 admissions for alcohol and drug abuse in state, local, private and non-profit substance abuse treatment facilities. 67.8 % of all those receiving treatment were male and 32.2 % were female.
In 1992, there were 16,363 people admitted for drug abuse alone in New Jersey. By 2006, the rate had doubled. There were 351 drug and alcohol treatment facilities in New Jersey as of 2006. New Jersey is below the national average for available treatment beds.
Since 2003, admissions for those seeking substance abuse treatment with a co-occurring mental health disorders have gone from 8 % to 21% in 2006.
Alcohol Addiction in New Jersey
Alcohol was the second most used drug in New Jersey according to a 2010 government report. 13,710 people were admitted to treatment for alcohol as the primary substance of abuse and 9,254 people were admitted for alcohol combined with a secondary drug.
Commonly Abused Drugs in New Jersey
Over the last fifteen years, or since the mid 1990s, there has been a decline in cocaine and alcohol admissions and an increase in those seeking treatment for heroin addiction.
Cocaine
Cocaine remains widely available throughout New Jersey and is a primary drug of choice in several parts of the state. 2,873 people were admitted in 2010 for smoking cocaine with an additional 1,918 people admitted for cocaine addiction who used cocaine by means other than smoking it. Crack cocaine remains widely available.
Heroin
Heroin abuse topped the list of most abused drugs in New Jersey with 22,106 people admitted for addiction treatment in 2010t. "Since the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, there has been an increase in the availability of heroin in New Jersey."
Marijuana
Marijuana is the third most widely available and frequently abused illicit drug in the New Jersey region with 11, 041 people seeking treatment in 2010. The misconception among adolescents that marijuana is a safe drug combined with the ability to get the drug for less money than many of the other drugs on the street explains the ongoing upsurge in marijuana use.
Methamphetamine
According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), there were over 155 emergency department mentions associated with methamphetamine in the state of New Jersey. According to source information, methamphetamine is gaining in popularity in the Cherry Hill, New Jersey area because the supply of cocaine waxes and wanes.
Prescription Drugs
Current investigations indicate that diversion of OxyContin, hydrocodone products (such as Vicodin or Lortab), phentermine, and fentanyl continues to be a problem in New Jersey. There were 7,234 people admitted for opiate addiction (not including heroin) in 2010. Percocet, Percodan, benzodiazepines (such as Xanax), and methadone were also identified as commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in New Jersey.
New Jersey Drug and Alcohol Fatalities, Injuries and Drug Court Statistics
There were 797 deaths attributed to drug use in 2007 compared to 719 deaths from motor vehicle accidents and 446 deaths from firearms. New Jersey was several percentage points below the national average for drug related deaths.
New Jersey was among the top 18 states where drug related deaths exceeded motor vehicle deaths.
New Jersey was among the top 18 states where drug related deaths exceeded motor vehicle deaths.
According to law enforcement reports, Columbian and Dominican drug organizations have been dealing in cocaine and heroin, Mexican traffickers are now moving cocaine from the west coast to the New Jersey, New York region.
