As part of the fifth National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Sept. 29, Schuylkill County residents with expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs will be able to discard them safely at several sites throughout the county through the Drug Enforcement Administration initiative.
"Know what you have in your medicine cabinet, protect what you have and dispose what you don't need," Melissa Chewey, Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol administrator, said Friday.
The Drug Take Back Day planned in Schuylkill County was coordinated through the county offices of the sheriff, district attorney and the DEA.
In addition to Drug Take Back Day, the Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol Program has partnered with DrugFree.org as a local sponsor of the Medicine Abuse Project that will kick off during the week of Sept. 23. The project is a multi-year effort to raise awareness and curb medicine abuse by reminding people to safely monitor their medications and safely dispose of unused or expired medications.
"We wanted to get the information out there because it is a problem," Chewey said. "You certainly don't want little kids getting into them."
According to the 2009 Pennsylvania Youth Survey, 17 percent of high school seniors in Schuylkill County have used a prescription pain reliever, 9.5 percent have used a prescription tranquilizer, and 7.5 percent have used a prescription stimulant, all without a doctor's order. According to the DEA, 70 percent of people 12 and older who abuse prescription drugs get them from friends and family.
Chewey said she is still waiting on the 2011 survey to see any trends. Chewey said all 28 pharmacies throughout the county will be distributing a card with every prescription filled that week containing information on prescription drug abuse and safe disposal. She said the county Drug and Alcohol program has provided a total of 49,000 cards as part of the campaign. The Pottsville Area Tide Task Force will also be distributing the cards during the home football game that week.
While there isn't a permanent place in the county to dispose prescription medication, Chewey said it is something that has been discussed.
"It's a talk that I want to continue having," she said.
Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David Moylan said the program has the support of his office as he has collected the medication of the deceased that he has examined.
"It's a real problem and we are sensitized to it in the coroner's office," Moylan said.
Moylan said he has seen some deaths in the county due to drug overdoses during his first year in office.
"When we are called for a death, even if it is for natural causes and not drug-related, we inventory (prescription drugs) and the policy has been to basically destroy them."
Moylan said that the county has been looking into programs that helps get these medications into the hands of patients that can't afford them.
"Just to throw this medication away seems like a terrible waste to me," he said.
According to the DEA, people have turned in 552,161 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for proper disposal at the 5,659 take-back sites throughout the nation during the last sponsored Drug Take Back Day event April 28. Totaling the four sponsored events, the DEA and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners removed over 1.5 million pounds of medication from circulation.
For suggestions on how to safely dispose expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs throughout the year, Chewey said to contact your pharmacist.
INFO BOX?
Residents can drop off prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 29 at the following locations throughout the county:
- North Schuylkill High School, 15 Academy Land, Ashland
- Tamaqua Borough Municipal Building, 320 Broad Street, Tamaqua
- Pine Grove Township Municipal Building, 175 Oak Grove Road, Pine Grove
- Orwigsburg Police Department, 209 N. Warren St., Orwigsburg
- Schuylkill County Courthouse, 401 N. Second St., Pottsville
- State Police at Frackville, 31 Eleanor Ave., Frackville
- State Police at Schuylkill Haven, 23 Meadowbrook Drive, Schuylkill Haven
- McAdoo Police Department, 23, N. Hancock St., McAdoo
The Drug Take Back event is free and open to everyone. People are encouraged to remove personal information from the container prior to drop off. All expired or unwanted controlled, non-controlled and over the counter medication is accepted. Liquid products such as cough syrup should remain sealed in their original plastic containers.
The following items will not be accepted:
- glass containers
- intra-venous solutions
- injectibles
- syrings
- illegal substances such as marguana or methamphetamines
For additional information, contact the County Sheriff's Office at 570-628-1440. If you or someone you know needs help with a drug or addiction, contact the County Drug and Alcohol Program for more information at 570-621-2890.