The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and the Camden County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CCCADA) are bringing vital prevention messages to Camden communities to help combat the opioid epidemic and raise awareness of marijuana use among teens.
The collaboration that began with the unveiling of six billboards found throughout Camden to educate and raise awareness on these important issues. A video public service announcement of the marijuana campaign is also being featured in the Cherry Hill 24 theater and Movies 16 in Somerdale. These ads and billboards will be running until March 6, 2022.
“We are grateful for this collaboration with the Camden County Council,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. “This kind of team effort between PDFNJ and CCCADA is commendable and we hope that other towns throughout New Jersey can use this as an example of all the good work that can be done to educate their communities.”
“Although we have a long-standing relationship with PDFNJ and have collaborated on numerous campaigns and initiatives over the last couple of decades, we are especially excited about our latest collaboration,” said Andrea Marshall, Director of Education of the Camden County Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Inc. “This billboard and movie theater campaign is an opportunity to bring an important statewide message into our local community. As a substance abuse prevention agency, we know that the key to preventing and reducing substance use is more effective through collaborations like these.”
New Jersey’s opioid epidemic continues to plague the state and the COVID-19 pandemic has created a surge is opioid overdose related deaths. In 2020, more than 3,000 people in New Jersey died of a drug overdose, a majority of which involved some form of opioid. In Camden County from January through November 2021, there were 1,858 naloxone administrations to reverse opioid overdoses and 396 suspected overdose deaths. Camden County is second only to Essex County in both naloxone administrations and overdose deaths in the state.
Vaping and marijuana use among teens is also on the rise, and marijuana use can be very dangerous for an adolescent developing brain. A recent study has found that the number of teens in America who vape marijuana has doubled in recent years.
