Substance use is a serious concern in New Jersey, though the state saw a meaningful decline in overdose deaths in 2023. Key figures:

• 2,816 overdose deaths in 2023, down from 3,171 in 2022, an 11% decline, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
• The first decline across all racial and ethnic groups in a decade.
• Fentanyl and synthetic opioids drive the crisis.
• A significant decrease from 2022 to 2023, per CDC data.
• More than 2,800 people lost their lives in 2023.
• Deaths have continued falling into 2024.

New Jersey’s crisis has been driven by fentanyl, but the state saw its first decline across all demographic groups in a decade in 2023. The numbers have kept falling since.

New Jersey expanded Medicaid in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act through its NJ FamilyCare program. The state’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) oversees substance use treatment. Of the 331 facilities listed below, 224 accept Medicaid.