New Jersey, already battling a severe heroin crisis, was hit hard by the rise of OxyContin in the late ’90s and 2000s—intensifying the need for opioid addiction treatment statewide. Thanks to the persistence of state attorneys general and others, the state recently secured $1.3 billion in settlement funds from opioid manufacturers to help repair the damage.
This Tribe Intensive NJ article explains the $1.3 billion PerduePharma settlement and how New Jersey could and should use it to power opioid addiction recovery and treatment here.
How NJ Plans to Use $1.3B for Opioid Recovery and Treatment
The State of NJ is getting a hefty check from PurduePharma as reparations for the damage done by OxyContin and other prescription painkillers. But, where is the money going and how will it help fight painkiller, heroin and fentanyl addiction in New Jersey? The state formed the New Jersey Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council to coordinate and plan how to best use the money.
Where the $1.3 Billion Settlement Will Go
Harm reduction services
Includes things like expanding access to NARCAN (naloxone), mobile health units, wound care kits, and peer-led outreach. Funds also support housing assistance, legal aid, and medications like Suboxone (buprenorphine), targeting overdose prevention and safer substance use practices, i.e. needle exchanges.
Opioid detox and rehab programs
Part of PerduePharma’s $1.3 billion settlement will go to support state-funded opioid detoxes, opioid rehabs in NJ, partial hospitalization (PHP) for opioid addiction and other outpatient addiction care, like IOP treatment.
Supportive recovery housing
Some of the opioid addiction settlement money will go towards financing state-funded recovery housing, i.e. halfway houses, sober houses. It will also help NJ regulate and monitor private supportive housing.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
A lot of people think MAT is just methadone clinics or Suboxone prescriptions, it’s much more though. MAT also combines other medications—like Vivitrol, Campral, and sometimes antidepressants, with counseling and support, offering a crucial layer of protection against relapse, especially during early recovery.
Wraparound services like legal aid and transportation
Wraparound services surround a person in early recovery with practical, stabilizing support—like legal aid for pending charges, transportation to opioid detox, access to sober housing, help finding a job, or getting to NA meetings. These resources ease daily burdens and boost your chances of “staying in the middle” and making progress.
How Can I Benefit From Opioid Addiction Help This Provides?
If you or someone you love is on Medicaid (NJ FamilyCare) or doesn’t have insurance or money, these funds help pay for state-funded opioid detoxes you could go to, along with all the other services like MAT and recovery housing listed above.
If you have private health insurance or a way to pay for opioid rehab, you can still benefit. After you complete your opioid addiction treatment at a private program, like Tribe Intensive, you can take advantage of services from the state, like transportation to meetings or therapy, legal aid, employment assistance, peer counseling and free NARCAN.
How can this NJ opioid settlement help me?
If you have NJ Medicaid/FamilyCare and no way to pay for opioid rehab:
- Opioid detox at no cost to you.
- State-funded treatment/rehab/IOP for opioid addiction.
- MAT/harm reduction and peer counseling
- Recovery housing at low or no cost to you.
- Transportation, and everything else listed in the section above.
Some key people helped secure this funding—and it likely wouldn’t have happened without them.
If you have private insurance and can go to private opioid treatment:
- Peer counseling and recovery support.
- Transportation to NA/AA meetings, sober house, work.
- You may qualify for legal aid services to settle charges etc.
- Free NARCAN
You can learn more about the NJ opioid settlement program and the services it offers on New Jersey’s official opioid funds portal
The Tribe’s Take on the $1.3B Settlement for Opioid Addiction
All of us here at Tribe Intensive witnessed the damage done by prescription painkillers like OxyContin first-hand. We lost friends and loved ones. We saw lives and families destroyed. While nothing can bring back the people we lost, we are grateful for all the people at the federal and state levels who helped hold PerduePharma accountable.
Without the hard work of dozens, maybe hundreds of people, we might never have seen the prescription opioid crisis in NJ wind down. We almost definitely would not have gotten this funding.
The People Who Helped Make it Happen
Just a few of the great people from NJ who did right by us all. Without these people, we may never have seen PerduePharma held accountable for what they did to New Jersey or secure this settlement. They deserve our recognition and gratitude!
- NJ Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin
He was the public face of New Jersey’s involvement in the $7.4 billion national settlement. Platkin emphasized accountability for the Sackler family and ensured NJ would receive up to $125 million from the Purdue portion of the deal.
- NJ Assistant Attorney General Lara Fogel
Played a central role in managing the Purdue and Sackler litigation for New Jersey.
- NJ Deputy Attorneys General Brian DeVito and Jesse Sierant
Both worked within the Division of Law’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group and were instrumental in handling the case on behalf of the state.
Tribe Intensive: Fighting for Opioid Recovery in NJ
You or your loved one don’t have to let heroin, fentanyl, or any substance take control. Addiction isn’t a choice—it’s a trap. The treatment you need and deserve is just one call away.
Tribe Intensive is where NJ heals. Thousands have overcome addiction with our help. Make the call—and we’ll fight for you, together
Addiction Treatment in NJ for Yourself
If you are ready to end the torture of addiction —- Let’s talk at 856-666-2484. Call anytime 24-hours a day.
If you’re not sure yet, but want to see what we have to offer, feel free to submit your info through our confidential portal and we’ll reach out to you.
Addiction Treatment in NJ for a Loved One
If you would like advice on helping someone you love with a substance use disorder, we’re here for you. Call anytime, 24 hours a day at 856-666-2484
