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Agencies encourages safe disposal of unused prescription drugs
YOUNGSTOWN
For many people struggling with drug addiction, the first step that puts them on that path is a simple, ordinary act: opening a medicine cabinet.
Experts say that roughly 70 percent of Americans who abuse prescription drugs first gained access to those substances from family members and friends.
That’s why the American Medicine Chest Challenge, a national organization, will have its annual initiative Saturday that seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and encourage people to safely dispose of unused and expired medications.
“The same way we change our batteries in alarms in our homes, we should take a look at our medicine cabinets,” said Angelo Valente, CEO of AMCC.
To that end, the organization encourages people to take the challenge by following five steps:
Take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medicine.
Secure medicine in the home.
Dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medicine at a local disposal site.
Take medicine as prescribed.
Talk to young people about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
Following these steps is crucial, Valente said, to help curb what he describes as a “national epidemic.” He noted that drug overdoses now are the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., surpassing automobile accidents.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that, after marijuana and alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter drugs are the most-commonly abused substances by Americans 14 and older. Experts say the trend of opioid abuse is particularly alarming.
“We believe that people should dispose of any drugs that they no longer need or want in their homes, but particularly painkillers and opiate-based drugs,” Valente said.
Some statistics that shed light on opioid abuse, according to information from NIDA, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are:
Abuse of prescription opioids has been associated with a 40-fold increased risk of heroin abuse.
From 1991 to 2011, the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed by U.S. pharmacies increased from 76 million to 219 million.
A near tripling of opioid-related deaths occurred over that same period.
The number of people receiving treatment for prescription-opioid addiction rose from 360,000 in 2002, to 772,000 in 2014.
Policies introduced by the White House and other agencies working to combat the opioid epidemic have pointed to prescription take-back initiatives as a key part of the strategy.
“The development of consumer-friendly and environmentally-responsible prescription drug disposal programs may help to limit the diversion of drugs, as most nonmedical users appear to be getting the drugs from family and friends,” stated a 2011 report outlining the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s prescription drug abuse prevention plan.
Local agencies also stress the importance of medication take-back programs.
“They absolutely help,” said Angela McClellan, executive director of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Mahoning County. “I encourage community members to be consistent, to be informed consumers, and absolutely to help with the problem by disposing of medication when you’re done with it. ... By doing that, they can be huge parts of the solution.”
Valley residents have numerous options for drug disposal, either at law-enforcement agencies with permanent drop-off boxes or during take-back events on specific dates. The DEA, for example, hosts a take-back initiative in the area twice each year, McClellan said. Some law-enforcement agencies also host take-back events.
For a list of permanent disposal sites and other information, download the AMCC RxDrop mobile application, visit the AMCC website at americanmedicinechest.com, use the search function at rxdrugdropbox.org, visit dea.gov or call the DEA’s Registration Call Center at 1-800-882-9539.