Vision Session
Gurbir Grewal, JD
Attorney General
State of New Jersey
The opioid epidemic is unprecedented in its scope and devastating in its intensity. Our response must match the epidemic in both scope and intensity. This session will outline the strategies that law enforcement agencies in New Jersey are aggressively implementing to combat opioid abuse in the state. Recent efforts have focused on promoting diversion programs, building relationships with healthcare partners, and affirmatively reaching out to at-risk individuals. One program that employs all of these strategies is Operation Helping Hand, in which law enforcement officers play an active role in identifying individuals with substance use disorders and—together with community partners—serve as a point of entry for treatment and recovery support services. In the largest Operation Helping Hand initiative to date, over 80% of individuals arrested for drug offenses elected to pursue treatment or recovery support services. Attorney General Grewal will discuss the ongoing expansion of Operation Helping Hand from a county-level program to a statewide program, as well as other programs and initiatives that New Jersey is deploying in the fight against opioid addiction.
Sponsor: National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute