Prevention Pulse

Will NJ Drug Costs Drop as Sherrill Targets ‘Shadowy Middleman’ PBMs?

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is making pharmacy benefit managers a major target in her push to lower prescription costs, arguing that tighter oversight and reform could reduce what patients and public programs pay for medicine. The effort has intensified debate over whether those companies are inflating prices or helping contain them, setting up a broader fight over how the state should tackle high drug costs. (Source: USA Today)

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NJ Bill Looks to Ban Kratom Products Critics Call ‘Dangerous’

New Jersey lawmakers are weighing a bill that would ban 7-OH products, a concentrated kratom-derived compound sold in places like vape shops and convenience stores, amid growing warnings that it can act like an opioid and carry a high risk of dependence. Supporters say the measure is needed to close a gap in state law and keep a potentially dangerous substance off shelves, while the proposal adds to a wider debate over how New Jersey should regulate kratom-related products. (Source: New Jersey Monitor)

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Community Spotlight

Become a Sponsor for the

Young Women's Conference

The Young Women’s Conference equips high school students with leadership skills, healthy relationship education, and substance misuse prevention tools. Sponsorships directly fund transportation, meals, and materials so schools can send more students at little or no cost.

As Senior Opioid Overdoses Rise Due to Chronic Pain, Knee Patient Warns 'It's an Easy Slope to Slide Down'

Opioid overdose deaths among older adults have climbed sharply, with health experts warning that seniors facing chronic pain are especially vulnerable to dependence, falls, and other serious consequences tied to prescription painkillers. In New Jersey, older residents recorded the highest number of suspected overdose deaths last year, adding urgency to calls for safer pain management strategies and greater awareness of non-opioid treatment options. (Source: CBS News New York)

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Healing the Mind: Trauma and the Path to Recovery in the Criminal Justice System

A commentary piece in The Jersey Vindicator argues that trauma, addiction, and untreated mental illness often shape the lives of people who enter the justice system, yet courts and correctional institutions were not built to address those underlying conditions. The article calls for trauma-informed responses that pair accountability with treatment, recovery support, and hope, saying that a more effective system would better protect both individuals and the broader community. (Source: The Jersey Vindicator)

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New Jersey Ranks Second-Worst Place for Physicians in New WalletHub Report

A new WalletHub analysis places New Jersey near the bottom nationally for physicians, weighing factors such as pay and hospital availability to compare working conditions across the country. Only New York ranked worse overall, while states such as Montana and Indiana landed at the top of the list. (Source: News 12 New Jersey)

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