The Independent
To raise awareness about the potential for abuse of prescription medications, Southwest Prevention, the Iron County Sheriff’s Department, and Smith’s Food and Drug are sponsoring a Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will be held in the Smith’s parking lot in Cedar City.
Unused or expired medications will be accepted, regardless of whether they are over-the-counter medications or prescription drugs. Pills and liquids are acceptable, but not medical waste, syringes, intravenous solutions or injectables.
To address the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs, community organizations, public health entities, and law enforcement are collaborating to host drug take-back programs nationwide. These drug disposal programs are a good way to remove expired, unwanted, or unused medicines from the home and reduce the chance that someone may accidentally or intentionally take the medicine.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. Most individuals who misuse prescription drugs–particularly teens–believe that these substances are safer than illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and dispensed by a pharmacist. The first step in tackling the problem of prescription drug abuse is educating parents, youth, and patients about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. Parents should talk to their children about the use and abuse of prescription drugs.
Never flush prescription medications down a toilet. If disposal instructions aren’t provided on the drug label and you don’t have access to a local take-back program, take medications out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, to make them less appealing and unrecognizable. Put them in a sealed container, and discard it.
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day occurs twice yearly in April and October, and there is a drug disposal box in the Cedar City Police Department lobby for year-round disposal.
For more information, visit www.southwestprevention.com
