A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds a majority of New Jersey residents believe opioid addicts suffer from a treatable disease rather than a lack of self-control.
Only 20 percent of New Jersey adults surveyed say they’d oppose having a treatment center in their community for those addicted to painkillers while 72 percent would support it.
Fairleigh Dickinson pharmacy practice professor Anastasia Rivkin says that’s a shift in public perception.
“A lot of people actually know people who are afflicted by opioid addiction. So I think it hits a little close to home and I think people see this as a treatable condition and would love to see more centers or more support available to people who suffer from this chronic disorder.”
81 percent of those surveyed favor treatment instead of prison time for those caught abusing prescription painkillers. 84 percent say if an employer becomes aware of a worker’s opioid addiction they should be given treatment options rather than being fired.