Expanded access to naloxone, the opioid-overdose antidote, is one of the factors experts say led to New Jersey’s first year-over-year decrease in fatal drug overdoses in this last decade. But those improvements aren’t uniform across the board. (Naloxone is often known by the brand name Narcan.)

While overall drug-related deaths are down in the Garden State, they’re still increasing in Black communities and among senior residents. According to the state Medical Examiner’s office, fatal overdoses among Black residents were up by 28% between 2021 and 2022. And for residents age 55 and older, overdoses increased by 31%.