America is gripped by an opioid crisis right now (Picture: Getty)

The US state of New Jersey has ‘some of the purest and most accessible heroin in the country’, says a leading anti-drugs organization.

America is gripped by an opioid crisis, infesting every crevice of society and killing nearly 150 people every day.

The epidemic is no more visible than in New Jersey, where around 2,000 deaths were linked to opioid overdose in 2016.

Angelo Valente, executive director at Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), told Metro US: ‘There isn’t a neighborhood city or community in New Jersey or the United States that has not been either directly or indirectly impacted by the opioid epidemic.

‘What is also very unique about this epidemic is it equally impacts families of all social, economic, religious and geographical backgrounds. The severity of the epidemic is enormous.’

The opioid epidemic in numbers

  • There are 144 opioid overdose deaths in the United States every day, according to the DEA. That means the country is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks.
  • The most recent yearly total was for 2015, during which 33,000 people in the United States died of an opioid overdose. The official total for 2016 won’t be out until later this year, but all estimates point to a major increase.
  • Legitimate opioid use before high school graduation is independently associated with a 33 percent increase in the risk of future opioid misuse after high school.
  • Male youth athletes are twice as likely to be prescribed opioid painkillers and four times more likely to abuse them.
  • 75 percent of new heroin users reported that their first opioid was a prescription drug.

Some prescribed drugs are as dangerous as heroin, says the anti-drugs organization leader (Picture: Getty)

The increase in opioid use has increased sharply over the past few decades.

A huge driver was when the medical community upgraded its reliance on them in the 1980s.

Many doctors believed opioids like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin to be an effective and non-addictive means of treating chronic and acute pains.

However, it has now been established that these medications do indeed contains qualities that are addictive.

The number of opioid prescriptions rose rapidly in the following years, and opioid sales nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control. (CDC).

There isn’t one part of society that’s not impacted by opioid abuse (Picture: Getty)

What's being done in New Jersey to stop the crisis?

A number of campaigns are in place including the PDFNJ’s Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall series.

Aside from that, recent legislation signed into law in New Jersey limits initial opioid prescriptions to a five-day supply.

It also requires doctors or dentists, when prescribing opioids to a patient, to have a conversation with them about the addictive nature of these painkillers and whether there are non-opioid alternatives.

‘People of all ages are prescribed and, in many cases, overprescribed opioids, which can lead to dependency,’ continued Angelo.

‘Those dependent on prescribed opioids often turn to heroin, which has a similar chemical composition and is much less expensive. To make matters worse, New Jersey has some of the purest and most accessible heroin in the country.’

There is a perception among the public that, because these medications are commonly prescribed by physicians and dentists, they are less harmless than illegal drugs like heroin.

But this is not the case.

Angelo said: ‘The chemical formulas of prescription painkillers and heroin are nearly identical and produce similar effects and are as addictive.

‘Heroin, although it’s illegal, is extremely inexpensive and accessible.’

His warning comes as the state deals with a rise in the distribution of fentanyl, a pain medication that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

There were 46 fentanyl-related deaths in New Jersey in 2013, according to the NJ Advance Media. In 2016, this climbed to 800.

Follow Metro US for a special series on America’s opioid crisis.