PURERADIANCEPHOTO

New Jersey could become the first state to require a warning sticker on opioid prescription bottles.

Assemblyman John Armato said his bill would require a red sticker on the cap of a prescription bottle warning that the medication is an opioid and could cause addiction and overdose.

“One of the reasons is that there’s so many different pain medications out there,”Armato said. “I have had people come to me and say thank god my son is not on an opiate. So what is he taking? He’s taking Percocet. Well that is an opiate.”

Armato is a certified recovery coach who can help overdose victims get into treatment.

He said current warning labels indicating those medications can cause drowsiness and should not be taken when pregnant aren’t enough. He said the warning stickers would be an easy cost-effective way to help educate people about the dangers of opioids and help save lives.

Go to whyy.org for the state's health committee's reaction to the bill.