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Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet |
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Date: 4-29-12 Prescription Drug Take Back event and proper drug disposal information.
Logan, UT – The Northern Utah Substance Abuse Prevention Team (NUSAPT) in conjunction with Logan City Police Department, and Cache County Sherriff’s Office partnered this past Saturday to promote a Take Back Event. This initiative sought to prevent increased pill abuse and theft. Local law enforcement collected 161.4 pounds of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs at the Smiths Marketplace location.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. In 2008, 72% of Utahans who had been prescribed pain mediation during the past year reported having leftover medication; and 71% of those with leftover medication reported they had kept the medication. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The 2011 Student Health and Risk Prevention Survey (SHARP) showed that in the Bear River Health District, 7.1% of all 12th graders, 3.6% of 10th graders and 1.4% of 8th graders have abused prescription narcotic drugs in their lifetime. More Utahans died in 2009 from overdose of prescription medication than from motor vehicle crashes. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.
“Participation in this event and others like it, will reduce the risk of accidental poisoning, misuse and abuse of prescription drugs,” says Cathy Lloyd, NUSAPT Coordinator. “We encourage everyone to take advantage of this program when available as well as the many drop off locations in our communities. These efforts will help make our homes and communities a safer place to live.”
For those wanting to drop off their medication, collection sites are available throughout the Bear River Health District. Local collection sites can be found by going to www.brhd.org
For more information about proper prescription drug disposal, contact the Bear River Health Department at 435-792-6510 or visit www.brhd.org
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