Drug Take-Back Day Safely Clears Old Prescriptions From Home
FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ) - A rainbow of colored pills were disposed of in a safe fashion Saturday at police stations across Metro Detroit.
Reid Larsson stopped by the Farmington Hills Police headquarters to dispose of some prescription drugs. He says he was happy to do drop them off. It's was helping to de-clutter his house!
"It feels great because it's just been sitting in the house, my wife has been battling cancer for eight years, and we've been going through it a lot," said Larsson."We've got tons of meds of various kinds for her treatment it's just great to put them out there - I didn't want to put it down the toilet or down the sink or anything and get them in the water system."
"This gives them a chance to get rid of their prescription pills in a manner that is safe," said Farmington Hills Police Detective Nicholas Miller.
Police say only pills were accepted, no syringes or liquids.
The program is a part of a nationwide effort to prevent medication abuse and to rid homes of unwanted and unnecessary prescription drugs, several agencies in Metro Detroit are supporting the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More than 7 million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2010 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The Partnership for a Drug Free America reports that each day, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time.
A study by the Journal of Pediatrics reports a 30 percent increase in emergency room visits for children under age five due to medication poisoning for the period 2001 to 2008. Experts say usual methods of disposing unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.
The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. For more information visit www.dea.gov.
