On Wednesday, the New Jersey Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration held its second annual family summit focused on the scourge of fentanyl in New Jersey and nation. The speakers included top law enforcement professionals in the state, outlining what each of their departments is doing to combat the growing problem of fentanyl use in New Jersey.

“For a long time, the addiction crisis was viewed as a criminal problem and punitive approaches were deployed,” said state Attorney General Matt Platkin. “And I think we can all agree were resounding failures. We have changed our approach in New Jersey, collaboratively across our federal, state, and local partnerships to tackle this for what it is. A public health crisis, where law enforcement plays a critical role, but not the only one.”

The federal Department of Justice recently awarded a total of $345 million to fight fentanyl, including Naloxone distribution, peer support for families who’ve lost loved ones, and education and awareness campaigns around the fentanyl crisis. In New Jersey alone, there were approximately 2,900 overdose deaths last year, which is a slight improvement from the more than 3,100 deaths the year prior.

“The violent drug cartels are manufacturing the fentanyl in fake pills, so they’re designed to look exactly like the brand name pills, but instead contain deadly amounts of fentanyl,” said Phillip Sellinger, U.S. attorney for New Jersey. “Agents of the DEA, federal prosecutors in my office are working tirelessly to prosecute those who are flooding our communities with these drugs.”

Beyond information sessions, the summit also gave grieving loved ones the opportunity to talk about what comes next after a loss, and how they turn their pain into advocacy. “My son was poisoned to death. His investigation is a murder investigation because he was deceived,” said one grieving mother who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning. “I think we really need to talk about how fentanyl, most of the time is being put into things that people don’t know they’re doing. It’s a poisoning, it’s not an overdose.”