PAGE 2 | October 18, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Building Trades joins group battling opioid addiction
(International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X)
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Oregon and Southwest Washington.
National Prescription
Drug Take Back Day is
Saturday, October 26.
Too often, home medicine cabinets
play a role in potential addiction. Safely
disposing of unused medications can
help prevent a child, loved one or friend
from misusing medicines that were not
prescribed to them.
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Affiliates of the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council hold drug disposal kits they received at the
launch of a new coalition working to prevent drug abuse and misuse. Educating consumers about properly disposing
of unused prescription medications is a key component of the campaign.
Oregon Building and Construc-
tion Trades Council (OSBCTC)
has partnered with more than a
dozen local, state, and national
organizations in an effort to find
solutions and share best prac-
tices for prevention, treatment
and recovery related to prescrip-
tion drug misuse.
The RX Abuse Leadership
Initiative (RALI) of Oregon an-
nounced its launch Oct. 1 at the
Northeast Portland union hall
shared by Bricklayers Local 1
and Cement Masons Local 555.
A major focus of the launch was
the importance of educating
consumers about properly dis-
posing of unused prescription
medications. Experts say this is
one of the keys to stopping mis-
use, which in turn helps prevent
addiction.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
530 Oregon residents died from
drug overdose in 2017 — many
of those related to illegal opioids
like fentanyl and heroin. Over-
dose rates continue to climb
across the country.
Too often, addiction to illegal
opioids begins with misuse of
prescription medications.
“One of our primary missions
is to ensure the health and safety
of our members and their fami-
lies,” said Robert Camarillo,
OSBCTC executive secretary.
“We are taking a proactive ap-
proach to fighting the opioid
epidemic by providing our
workers with the support and re-
sources they need to break free
from addiction.”
■ Mix your unused medicines with a
household substance like kitty litter
or coffee grounds in an airtight
container. Seal the container and
you can dispose of it in the trash.
■ Bring your unused medicines to an
official drug collection site: Find the
nearest one at takebackday.dea.gov
MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Visit rali-or.org
RALI Oregon’s safe disposal
efforts helps educate consumers
about common ways to safely
dispose of unused medications,
including using everyday house-
hold items or specialized drug
disposal pouches. Through this
initiative, RALI partners will
distribute pouches to residents
across the state.
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