RX Drug Take Back Day

News Release Date: April 18, 2012 Contact: Jennifer Versteeg 541-574-3305

THE COMMISSION ON CHILDREN & FAMILIES & THE LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ARE TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS APRIL 28, 2012 IN SOUTH COUNTY.

Lincoln County, OR – On April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Lincoln Commission on Children & Families in partnership with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your medications for disposal to The Sheriff’s Office Sub-Station behind Waldport City Hall on Hwy 34. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. In addition to this temporary drop site there are three additional permanent Rx drop boxes at the following locations:
• Newport Police Department/City Hall
• Lincoln City Police Department
• Toledo Police Department

Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds—188.5 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners. In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds—nearly 500 tons—of pills. The rate of medication abuse continues to rise across the country, among youth, adults, and older adults.

The intentional abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines—to get high and/or to self-medicate—is often mistaken
to be less harmful than using illicit drugs since prescription and OTC drugs have been tested and approved for medical use.

Follow these 5 simple steps to do your part to prevent medicine abuse and to protect the environment. 1. Take inventory of all prescription and over-the-counter medicines in your home. 2. Secure all medicines, prescription, and OTC. Lock doors and windows when no one is home. 3. Properly dispose of unused, unwanted, and expired medicine; take advantage of permanent disposal sites where available. 4. Take all medicines exactly as prescribed. 5. Talk to your children about the dangers of medication drug abuse... they are listening.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

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