White House targets Camden, Philadelphia, New Castle for new heroin policy

CAMDEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- Camden is among the target areas the White House has picked for its new heroin policy.

Last May, Camden County police began carrying Narcan, the medication that officers spray in the nostrils of people found with symptoms of heroin and prescription drug overdoses.

Since then they've revived more than 100 people.

Announced Monday, the federal heroin response strategy will give $2.5 million to regions deemed by the White House as high intensity drug trafficking areas, those areas span 15 states.

"This will serve to augment what we're currently doing. We currently fund our Narcan now through forfeiture money; there will be funding from the heroin initiative that's coming from the White House for education, additional resources," Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said.

Camden, Philadelphia and New Castle, Delaware are in one of the regions and its where some of the purest heroin is sold.

Many on the streets of Camden reacted in favor of the boost in help.

"There are many people that I've known close to me and not so close to me who died of opium overdoses that could've been saved had it not been for one, the fact that they were afraid they were going to get caught or two, something like this wasn't out there at the time," Donald Warren of Bellmawr, New Jersey said.

In response to critics of federal dollars spent saving drug addicts lives, if saved they can get the help they need or save the life of a child that gets ahold of parents medication.

"We need to understand what our primary mission is and is to return loved ones to their family regardless of what the condition is," Thomson said.