Camden County Takes Aim At Fentanyl In New Awareness Campaign

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — In September, 145 pounds of fentanyl was seized from a home in Pennsauken by the regional High Intensity Drug Task Force. The nearly $2 million worth of narcotics had been earmarked for sale across the county, and had the potential to kill thousands, officials said on Tuesday.

This is why Camden County Commissioners joined the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force, advocates and law enforcement at the Remembrance and Hope Memorial in Gloucester Township to launch a fentanyl awareness campaign on Tuesday.

“At this time, fentanyl has become so ubiquitous, it’s being found in recreational narcotics that have never been associated with opioids,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “This campaign is for individuals that may not have opioid use disorder but are using substances recreationally and have no idea where they are coming from. The smallest amounts of fentanyl can be catastrophic and fatal, and we want residents to know that a variety of narcotics sold on the street will be cut with it.”

Fentanyl played a role in many of the 57,000 synthetic opioid-related deaths in the country in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 13,000 people who died of heroin overdoses, as the country exceeded 100,000 fatal overdoses.

In Camden County, fentanyl played a role in 70 percent of fatal overdoses, and 93 percent of fatal overdose victims in the county had opioids in their system.

One of those victims was JJ Niederman, 19-year-old man who was the victim of a fentanyl overdose.

“JJ was a wonderful boy who was a good kid,” his mother, Tanya Niederman, said. “When he passed, he never knew he was taking fentanyl, and that was a fatal mistake. If we can get just one child like JJ to think twice before ingesting something at a party that could be cut with this poison, this campaign will be worth it.”

“Getting fentanyl-laced drugs off our streets has been a priority for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office for a number of years and will continue to be a priority for this administration,” Acting Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay said. “This mission begins with education and must include both intervention and treatment. Our office is committed to work with the County in this effort to raise awareness of the dangers of this lethal substance.”

The National Institute for Drug Abuse reported 2020 had been the largest increase in fatal overdoses since 1999.

In Camden County, there was actually a drop in fatal overdoses, from 329 in 2019 to 290 in 2021, county officials said. They said they still recognize the need to raise awareness, as opioids continue to be one of the county’s largest killers.

“As a primary care and addiction medicine physician, I see the devastation opioids have caused to individuals and the community,” said Dr. Kaitlan Baston, Division Head of Addiction Medicine services at Cooper University Health Care. “I commend the Camden County Board of Commissioners for highlighting this important public health issue and championing new initiatives and resources to help those in need. Working collaboratively, the medical community, community partners, and our elected officials can create meaningful ways to combat substance use disorder.”

“Increasing awareness of the danger of fentanyl, the majority of which is produced in and sourced from China, will save lives,” Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) said. “As opioid deaths reach record levels nationwide, it is vital that we work with the community and every level of government to address the problem of opioid misuse. I thank the Addiction Awareness Task Force for doing this important work and launching this latest public education campaign.”