The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia , along with many local community efforts, have cleaned medicine cabinets of thousands of pounds of un-used, potentially lethal prescription drugs.
The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia has, for the past several years, seen a rapidly rising trend in prescription drug abuse. According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, every day 2,500 youngsters age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time and prescription drugs are more abused by teens than any illicit street drug, except for marijuana.
Prescription Drug Abuse
The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia, in conjunction with local law enforcement, has spearheaded the effort in Georgia to make people more aware of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and educating teens and parents alike.
“The drug education we provide to schools, churches, and local support groups has shifted some-what in the past few years,” comments Gordon Weinand, Public Relations for The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab of Georgia. “Whereas education on the signs of cocaine and heroin abuse are still needed, we are now focusing on warning children and parents that prescription drugs, misused, can be just as deadly and addictive.”
A recent survey by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found that one in five teens can get prescription drugs within an hour and the most common source is their own home or friends. Many feel that taking prescription drugs or over-the-the-counter medications such as cough medicine to get high is safe, an idea that is very dangerous.
One idea that is gaining momentum is the idea of a “prescription drug buy-back.” Sheriff’s departments and local communities offer to “buy back” unused prescription drugs, thus taking them out of circulation. Commonly known as “Operation Medicine Cabinet”, communities are taking unused prescription drugs out of homes where they can be abused, and safely disposed of.
Mary Rieser, Executive Director for The Atlanta Recovery Center Georgia, is pleased with the results. “While we see more people coming in for prescription drug abuse, it is gratifying to see communities around the country taking action to educate and prevent the abuse of prescription drugs.”
Prescription drug buy-back programs have sprung up across the country:
• Pasco County Florida
• Warren County Ohio
• Rowan County, North Carolina
• Collier County Florida
• Lubbock, Texas
• Scott County Iowa
• Broward County Florida
• Rock Island County Iowa
• Watauga County, North Carolina
• LA County, California, in conjunction with Narconon International
• New Jersey DEA even has a state-wide drug-drop-off program with their own website: http://www.operationmedicinecabinetnj.com
The goal of these drug buy-back programs is to enlighten the community on the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to provide a safe means to curtail it. Communities have reported over 40,000 pills dropped of; one community reported over a ton of prescription medications turned in.
Some kids will already need treatment and their families will be provided with information as to how to get it.
For more information on “Operation Medicine Cabinet” and how you can have this campaign in your community, contact The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia at 1-877-236-3981
Hi Operation Medicine Cabinet,
I would like to learn more about your program; the steps to running a Prescription Take Back program.
Recently we partnered with the city for a 3 day drug drop off, but were unable to enlist law enforcement, so we were unable to collect controlled substances.
So, please send me your package; I would like to know all the ins and outs: staffing, cost, etc.
Thanks!
Happy New Year!
Barb
I have several medications that were used by my recently deceased mother . Some are unopened and some opened. Opened are 25+ metaprolol ER 25mg, 50+ Diovan 160mg.
Two unopened bottles of Diovan 320 mg (7 tabs each)
23 Skelaxin 800 mg tabs that have been broken and inserted into bubble packs which are intact
9 metaprolol Succ ER 25 mg tabs in bubble packs.
I hate to see than go to waste. Is there a charity than can use them .if not how do I dispose of them safely.
There are drop off points throughout the United States. If you google Prescription Drug drop off locations and then enter your state you will come up with several locations to take them to. If for some reason there aren’t any local, you can use cat litter to place the prescription drugs in (out of the bottle) and shake it up and dispose of them in the trash. Prescription medications cannot be transferred from one individual to another and must be disposed of. I hope this helped and if you need further information please feel free to ask.