Fight Prescription Drug Addiction on Prescription Drug Take-Back Day April 30
The United States government has long taken an interest in lowering the rates of drug and alcohol addiction in this country and around the world. To that end, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has created the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative, a day that asks everyone in every state to do their part to fight prescription drug addiction. How? By cleaning old and unused medications out of medicine cabinets and linen closets and turning them in at participating hospitals, police stations and local government offices on April 30.
Why Should You Bring in Your Unused Prescription Drugs?
The US DEA says that more than 7 million Americans developed a problem abusing prescription medications or over the counter medications in 2009. Other research reveals that more than 2500 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 abuse prescription drugs every day -and they are not buying their medications off the street. Instead, they are taking them from the prescriptions of parents and grandparents, often one pill at a time so that the behavior goes unnoticed.
Which Prescription Drugs Should You Bring In?
If you have prescription drugs in your cabinet that are expired and no longer needed or wanted, those are the ones to “take back.’ Whether or not they are yours, they are welcome at the participating drop-off centers -no questions asked. If you miss the date, don’t worry: many pharmacies will accept the medications that you no longer need or want. Just ask.
What Not to Do with Unused Prescription Drugs
Flushing drugs down the toilet or throwing them in the trash are the two most common ways of disposing of prescription medications in the United States. Unfortunately, both create ecological catastrophes. The soil and the water supply are polluted by the chemicals that make up these drugs -creating food and water tainted by the medications. Though there is not enough research to state definitively what the long-term result of continued improper dumping of prescriptions medications will amount to, it is clear from the early results that they cannot be good.
Building on Success: Not the First National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
Last year, the US DEA held a take-back day on September 25. Americans dropped about more than 121 tons of pills at 3000 locations. Due to the success of the first initiative, more communities and locations are participating this year. The goal is to double the amount of pills collected.
Will you be participating?
