Three-quarters of New Jerseyans Familiar With Proper Guidelines to Store and Dispose of Medications, Opioids and Edibles
2024年4月26日 - 1:12AM
A majority of New Jerseyans are at least “somewhat” familiar with
storage and disposal of opioids and other medications, and less
than 3 in 10 report that they or a loved one has been prescribed an
opioid as pain medication in the past two years, according to the
latest Rutgers- Eagleton Poll collaboration with the Partnership
for a Drug-Free New Jersey.
Forty-two percent of residents polled in December say they are
very familiar with the proper guidelines to store and dispose of
any form of medication, opioids and/or edibles in a household,
32 percent are somewhat familiar and 23 percent aren’t familiar; 2
percent are unsure.
“Sizeable familiarity with storage and disposal is likely due to
state laws that require doctors to inform patients of the potential
dangers of such medications and available alternatives, as well as
PSAs from organizations like the Partnership for a Drug-Free New
Jersey and the presence of drop boxes and other advertised
disposable opportunities within communities,” said Ashley Koning,
an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center
for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New
Brunswick.
Twenty-nine percent say they or a family member has been
prescribed an opioid as a pain medication in the past two years,
while 68 percent say they haven’t. There is little variation among
subgroups.
“The percentage of New Jerseyans who claim they or a family
member has been prescribed an opioid has significantly declined
since we last polled the issue in 2018,” said Koning. “New Jersey
is now one of the states with the lowest opioid dispensing rates in
the country.”Opioids Rutgers-Eagleton PollWomen claim to be
slightly more familiar with storage and disposal guidelines than
men. White residents likewise claim to be more familiar to some
extent (82 percent) than Black residents (73 percent), Hispanic and
Latino residents (63 percent) and residents who are multiracial or
from other backgrounds (63 percent). Familiarity increased by
double digits among older people compared with those 18 to 34 years
old (55 percent).
Among those who say they or a family member has been prescribed
an opioid as medication in the past two years, nine in 10 (91
percent) say they are at least somewhat familiar with storage and
disposal guidelines, compared with seven in 10 (69 percent) of
those who haven’t been or whose family hasn’t been prescribed
opioids.
"We are encouraged by the heightened awareness among New
Jerseyans about the proper storage and disposal of medications,
including opioids," said Angelo Valente, executive director of the
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. "But the persistent misuse
of opioids within our communities underscores the need to continue
our education and prevention efforts. Every resident must be
equipped with life-saving information on the addictive properties
of their medications, proper disposal methods, and the availability
of safer, non-addictive alternatives to manage pain."
Thirty-eight percent say they have a family member or close
friend who is or has ever been addicted to drugs; 59 percent
say they don’t.
Reports of knowing someone who has or has had an addiction are
less common among residents who are multiracial or of other
backgrounds (24 percent) compared with white residents (42
percent), Black residents (42 percent) and Hispanic or Latino
residents (39 percent). Nearly half (46 percent) of those in the
lowest income bracket report someone close to them being currently
or formerly addicted to drugs. More than half (54 percent) of those
living in the southwestern area of the state report having a loved
one who has or has had an addiction, more than residents any other
region of New Jersey. Those with some college education or less are
more likely to report someone they care about being addicted at
some point than those with a college degree or more education.
Those who say they or a family member has been prescribed
opioids are slightly more than one-and-a-half times more
likely than those who haven’t had this experience to say they have
a loved one who is or has been addicted to drugs (52 percent
versus 32 percent, respectively).
Results are from a statewide poll of 1,657 adults contacted
through multiple modes, including by live interviewer on landline
and cell phone, MMS text invitation to web and the probability-
based Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Dec. 13 to Dec.
23. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage
points. The registered voter subsample contains 1,451 registered
voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.
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ABOUT THE RUTGERS-EAGLETON/SSRS GARDEN STATE PANEL
The Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel is a
probability-based panel of New Jersey adults age 18 or older.
Members are recruited randomly based on statewide representative
ABS (Address Based Sample) design. The ABS sample is drawn from the
Delivery Sequence File (DSF) maintained by the U.S. Postal Service.
Population coverage of the DSF is in the 98 percent-99 percent
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determine eligibility for specific studies (if needed). The
Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel is a multi-mode panel.
Internet households participate via web while all non-internet
households (including those who have internet but are unwilling to
take surveys online) participate via phone. Panelists also have the
option of taking surveys in their preferred language (English or
Spanish).
ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE NEW JERSEY
Best known for its statewide substance use prevention
advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is
a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the
communications, corporate and government communities whose
collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New
Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million
in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the
partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public
service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its
inception, the partnership has garnered 226 advertising and public
relations awards from national, regional and statewide media
organizations.
Lisa Batito
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
news@drugfreenj.org