The policy unit is charged with advancing addiction treatment and recovery issues and confronting stigma. The unit continues NCADD’S long tradition of advocacy with various printed and web-based materials and with advocacy tools and strategies.

In the unit’s efforts to educate the state’s decision-makers, the media and the public about addiction being a public health problem, the unit produces an array of materials tailored to the different levels of understanding. Most recently, it produced a well-received series of brochures on the national health care reform and its potential impact on addiction.

Since 1990, the agency has published a journal on addiction issues, Perspectives, a bi-monthly publication with a readership of 11,000.  Perspectives covers developments in the state and puts them in context with what is happening across the country.

The policy unit also issues position papers on specific pieces of legislation and provides testimony before the New Jersey Legislature. In addition, it has produced numerous in-depth primers detailing problems and providing research on potential solutions. Subjects of these primers include Closing New Jersey’s Addiction Treatment Gap and Treatment Instead of Incarceration.

In 2008, NCADD-NJ created the Advocacy Leader Program, through which an addictions issues constituency has been built. With the 2011 Leader Class, the program now has over 100 members representing 36 of the state’s 40 legislative districts. The advocacy effort also recruits members to become Leadership Partner Program   and to sign up for the Think Advocacy database.

The Advocacy Leader Program and the overall advocacy efforts of the unit have begun to greatly make use of social media tools including Facebook and Twitter.