Over the last seven days, three people have died and four others needed to be resuscitated by police following a series of heroin overdoses, Camden police said Monday.
The problem was described as “a continuing spate of heroin overdoses,” according to the police chief and county prosecutor. In response, the city has issued a safety alert.
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In total, the city has seen 32 heroin overdoses over the last week, according to Camden police. Six occurred on Sunday.
To prevent fatalities, police used a drug called Narcan to revive those who are suffering from an overdose.
New Jersey has recognized the rising heroin epidemic partly by pushing a package of measures aimed at countering the problem. They have also given Narcan to some law enforcement personnel to save lives and passed legislation aimed at protecting those who report overdoses from being prosecuted.
Governor Chris Christie has said repeatedly that the war on drugs was a failure and that the state cannot arrest its way out of the problem. He has emphasized the need for recovery options for addicts.