Check your cabinets for those out-of-date and no-longer-used prescription bottles.
And instead of flushing those drugs down the drain, put them aside for the Prescription Drug Take Back event April 30 at Shakerag Knoll next to the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
At last year’s “pill drop” event, Peachtree City residents disposed of an astonishing 193 pounds of medication. The drugs were disposed of via incineration.
The initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.
Please note that Operation Pill Drop cannot accept needles/sharps, syringes with needles, thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care products, empty containers, inhalers, medical equipment or hydrogen peroxide.
The event is a joint project between the Peachtree City Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency. For more information, visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.
