National Take Back Day 2014 is a movement started by the DEA to work with local participating law enforcement agencies to help get prescription drugs off the streets and out of the reach of children nationwide. It will be held tomorrow, September 27th 2014 nationwide from 10am-2pm. This one day event will allow all citizens to anonymously drop off and dispose of any and all unwanted or expired medications.
We all know that prescription drugs are a plague on our nations youth and adult population. This movement will help keep kids and teenagers from trying medications left over, from past surgeries and doctors visits. Over 20% of teenagers who have experimented with prescription drugs say they got their first pills right out of a medicine cabinet in their own household.
Right now is the perfect time to clean out your medicine cabinet! Help protect our nation’s environment, youth and families by properly disposing of your medications. Medicines that are simply flushed pollute our water systems and ones left unsupervised can lead to addiction and accidental poisonings. Rates of prescription drug abuse are extremely high. Over 50% of teens who abuse medications actually get them from a family member or friend. This includes finding them in home medicine cabinet, pills are often stolen without the families knowledge.
If you can not make this event there is still something you can do! For your safety and the safety of your community, family, friends and kids local law enforcement has set up some temporary drop off locations for different dates. Click here to find a temporary ongoing take-back program.
Many experts agree that take-back programs are the 1st choice. Law enforcement, public health, and environmental professionals stand united in support of take-back programs as being the safest and most responsible way to dispose of unwanted and expired medicines.
We at Recovery Society understand that this isn’t a definitive solution to such a problem but it is a start. With on going support from local law enforcement and the community they help protect, free services like this will continue to help reduce the number of pills on the streets and readily available to our nation’s youth.
Funding is needed to help National Take Back Day become a more definitive and permanent solution. More counties need a safe way to dispose of medications that wont effect our environment. More importantly more families need to be well educated about the dangerous of prescription medications and the effect that it is having on our country.
If you would like to participate in this you can find a nearby location that is taking part in the drug take back here. Simply enter your zip code and it will give you the nearest location.
If you or a loved one is currently struggling with a addiction to prescription medication please contact Recovery Society at 1-866-323-6590.
