Over 150 recovery specialists and policy experts opposed legislative proposals to increase penalties for fentanyl in New Jersey. The tougher penalties are among “tough-on-crime” proposals from Democratic lawmakers  that went before Senate committees in the State House Monday. Penalties would increase for fentanyl possession, distribution and manufacturing.

Critics say harsher punishments would worsen the overdose crisis, criminalize those who need care, and fuel racial injustice. Black New Jerseyans are 3.3 times more likely to be arrested for drug penalties than white residents, according to the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, which was among the organizations opposing the measure.

Black residents in New Jersey are also half as likely to receive treatment for substance abuse and overdose as are white residents. While overdose deaths are decreasing overall in the state, they increased for Black residents in the past year. 

“Harsher punishment for people who use drugs will not end the overdose crisis but make it worse,” said Caitlin O’Neill, director of harm reduction services at the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition. “Increasing penalties for fentanyl possession will make it less likely that people who use drugs will call 9-1-1 to report an overdose or seek help and support for their own drug use.”