MORRIS COUNTY — During the afternoon of Monday, February 26, Morris County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brad Seabury spoke at the Morris County School of Technology in Denville, to educate the Healthcare Science Juniors on the ongoing Opioid and Heroin epidemic in New Jersey.
These high school juniors are studying to become active members of the healthcare industry. The attending students take college level healthcare courses, to better prepare them for their future endeavors. They are the next generation of doctors, nurses, and physical therapists, the majority of whom will have access to opioids, as well as the power to prescribe these drugs. Accordingly the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seabury were eager to conduct this presentation, at the request of one of the Healthcare Science Teachers.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seabury explained how the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is working with local agencies, such as the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and Morris Center for Addiction Recovery Education and Success (CARES) to battle the current epidemic.
Seabury’s presentation covered multiple aspects of the opioid epidemic, including how it impacts the community, what law enforcement is doing to combat the crisis, and the success of the current educational, enforcement, and treatment programs in Morris County.
Even though the majority of people in our community have been affected by the opioid epidemic in some way, there has been a general lack of knowledge about how street opiates have changed over the years. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seabury provided a basic understanding of pharmaceutical opioid drug abuse, how this problem can lead to addiction, how heroin is used, distributed, and priced in Morris County, as well as how Fentanyl has become a major killer of illicit drug users.
Assistant Prosecutor Seabury talked to the students for approximately one hour, then allowed them to ask any questions that they had. Many of the students were interested to further learn about how they can help make an impact on the Opioid and Heroin Epidemic in their future careers. Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp stated, “Providing educational programs to students about to enter the healthcare profession can be a critical component in fighting the current Heroin and Opioid Epidemic. We are grateful to the Morris County School of Technology for inviting us to speak to these future health doctors, nurses, and physical therapists”.
