4/16/2019
Attorney General Josh Stein
April 2019
In North Carolina, opioid overdoses cause more than 38 deaths a week on average – more than five a day. Far too many of our family members, friends, and neighbors are losing their lives to this devastating epidemic. Many others are forced to deal with the struggle of addiction. To confront this crisis, we must work together to build a more powerful North Carolina.
That’s why I, along with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina President and CEO Patrick Conway, Atrium Health President and CEO Eugene A. Woods, and other partners, launched More Powerful NC earlier this month.
More Powerful NC is a public education effort to increase awareness of opioid addiction and empower people to take steps to fight against the epidemic in their communities. More Powerful NC’s website, www.MorePowerfulNC.org, provides people with facts about the epidemic, information about addiction treatment and recovery, and suggestions for ways to get involved.
Every North Carolinian can make a difference and help save lives. You can dispose of unnecessary medications at a drop box location near you. You can lock up the medications you still need to make sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands. You can learn what questions to ask your doctor or healthcare provider to identify alternatives to opioids. You can begin to have conversations about treatment and recovery, or you can learn how best to support a friend or loved one as they find treatment and begin recovery.
And you can play a role in helping your community confront the crisis as well. You can assemble and distribute naloxone kits, which reverse overdoses. You can learn how to talk about addiction to reduce stigma and ensure that people struggling with substance misuse feel heard and supported. You can help your company implement drug-free workplace policies. You can join efforts to educate youth and young athletes and help schools use evidence-based materials to educate students and their families.
These are just a few ideas. Since I took office as Attorney General in 2017, fighting this epidemic has been one of my top priorities. I’ve traveled the state and spoken to countless communities about the innovative solutions they’re putting in place to address the crisis. And I want you to have the tools and resources to put these solutions in place, regardless of where you live in our state. If we all do our part and take action, we can prove that the people of North Carolina are more powerful than opioids.
So tell us what you’re going to do fight the opioid epidemic – get started by taking a pledge to take action at www.MorePowerfulNC.org/pledge. Together, we can take our communities back from the grips of this crisis and build a more powerful North Carolina. I hope you’ll join us.