Take Back drugs go up in smoke, keep prescription drugs off the street
Have you ever had drugs sitting around your house with a date stamped about three years after the expiration date?
Are they still good, or not? How should you get rid of them? Should you even bother?
With the growing concerns about prescription drug theft in America today, your old prescription drugs could end up supplying the average drug abuser with their next high, or perhaps a pusher’s next sale.
The DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day took place on Saturday, Oct. 29, and among the many nationwide police departments to participate were a number under the umbrella of MEDWAY (Medina/Wayne) Drug Enforcement Agency. Included in the drop sites were The Wooster Cleveland Clinic, Wayne County Justice Department and police departments from Rittman, Orrville, Millersburg and Brunswick.
All told, the event collected 325 pounds of prescription drugs and 172 pounds of over-the-counter drugs, most of which were either outdated or no longer needed by those turning them in.
The Take Back Day allows people to bring in old drugs, no questions asked, without names, addresses or information of any kind being required. What the day was designed for was to provide an avenue for people to return unwanted, outdated drugs safely and quickly, so that they could be disposed of properly.
The purpose of having the drugs turned in was two-fold. One, when the drugs are disposed of improperly, for instance put into the trash or flushed down the toilet, they can create an environmental danger. Secondly, when these drugs are left to accumulate in the home, they can become the target of people who steal from pantries, cabinets and night stands to either aid their own habit or for resale purposes.
“The facts concerning the abuse of prescription drugs today are staggering,” said Jim Garrett, pharmaceutical diversion investigator for MEDWAY. “We have struggled as a nation with illegal drugs for years, and that story is out there and everyone kind of knows about that. However, prescription drugs, the one drug we should be able to have more control over, is the one that is being abused now more than ever. It is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. The more I get to be involved with the operations surrounding prescription drug abuse, the more I am amazed at what people will go through in order to sustain their lifestyle once they start abusing.”
Garrett said that the take back went very well, noting that people would be surprised to see exactly how many pills it takes to make up 500 pounds of drugs. What’s more, the drugs are weighed separate from the pill bottles.
Now that the drugs have been collected, Garrett said that the pills are separated from the bottles, and both will be incinerated according to EPA regulations.
“They are going up in smoke, legally and safely,” said Garrett of the drugs. “This was a great day, but we still have a ton of work to do.”
According to state statistics, four people die every day from prescription drug abuse, a statistic that exceeds automobile accident deaths in the state.
“People would be shocked to see the extent that this unwanted trend is taking,” said Garrett. “We do really appreciate the effort these people took today to make sure that their drugs don’t fall into the wrong hands.”
It was a slow turn-in day at Millersburg, where only seven pounds of prescription drugs (PD) were turned in. There were no over-the-counter drugs (OTC) turned in. At the Wooster Cleveland Clinic, there were 57 pounds of PD with 30.5 pounds of OTC. The Wayne County Justice Center saw people bring in 42 pounds of PD and 25 pounds of OTC. Orrville received 24.5 pounds of PD and 10.5 pounds of OTC. Rittman had 16 pounds of PD come in, while Brunswick saw the largest numbers, including 181 pounds of PD and 106 pounds of OTC drugs.
Garrett said that while people had the choice of simply stopping in, dropping off their drugs and leaving, many wanted to know more, and the most commonly heard comment was that while they wanted to get rid of the drugs, many people had no idea how to do so properly.
“It’s a learning experience,” said Garrett.
“In addition to the annual Take Back Day, Garrett said that MEDWAY is working on installing 10 permanent drop boxes throughout the Wayne/Holmes area, which would allow people the opportunity to drop off drugs at a more regular time frame.
Currently, the Millersburg Police Department has a box installed at their offices, and it is available daily until midnight.
“Even once we get those in place, we will still participate in the Take Back Day, because it helps create a better awareness of the issues,” said Garrett.
Are they still good, or not? How should you get rid of them? Should you even bother?
With the growing concerns about prescription drug theft in America today, your old prescription drugs could end up supplying the average drug abuser with their next high, or perhaps a pusher’s next sale.
The DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day took place on Saturday, Oct. 29, and among the many nationwide police departments to participate were a number under the umbrella of MEDWAY (Medina/Wayne) Drug Enforcement Agency. Included in the drop sites were The Wooster Cleveland Clinic, Wayne County Justice Department and police departments from Rittman, Orrville, Millersburg and Brunswick.
All told, the event collected 325 pounds of prescription drugs and 172 pounds of over-the-counter drugs, most of which were either outdated or no longer needed by those turning them in.
The Take Back Day allows people to bring in old drugs, no questions asked, without names, addresses or information of any kind being required. What the day was designed for was to provide an avenue for people to return unwanted, outdated drugs safely and quickly, so that they could be disposed of properly.
The purpose of having the drugs turned in was two-fold. One, when the drugs are disposed of improperly, for instance put into the trash or flushed down the toilet, they can create an environmental danger. Secondly, when these drugs are left to accumulate in the home, they can become the target of people who steal from pantries, cabinets and night stands to either aid their own habit or for resale purposes.
“The facts concerning the abuse of prescription drugs today are staggering,” said Jim Garrett, pharmaceutical diversion investigator for MEDWAY. “We have struggled as a nation with illegal drugs for years, and that story is out there and everyone kind of knows about that. However, prescription drugs, the one drug we should be able to have more control over, is the one that is being abused now more than ever. It is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. The more I get to be involved with the operations surrounding prescription drug abuse, the more I am amazed at what people will go through in order to sustain their lifestyle once they start abusing.”
Garrett said that the take back went very well, noting that people would be surprised to see exactly how many pills it takes to make up 500 pounds of drugs. What’s more, the drugs are weighed separate from the pill bottles.
Now that the drugs have been collected, Garrett said that the pills are separated from the bottles, and both will be incinerated according to EPA regulations.
“They are going up in smoke, legally and safely,” said Garrett of the drugs. “This was a great day, but we still have a ton of work to do.”
According to state statistics, four people die every day from prescription drug abuse, a statistic that exceeds automobile accident deaths in the state.
“People would be shocked to see the extent that this unwanted trend is taking,” said Garrett. “We do really appreciate the effort these people took today to make sure that their drugs don’t fall into the wrong hands.”
It was a slow turn-in day at Millersburg, where only seven pounds of prescription drugs (PD) were turned in. There were no over-the-counter drugs (OTC) turned in. At the Wooster Cleveland Clinic, there were 57 pounds of PD with 30.5 pounds of OTC. The Wayne County Justice Center saw people bring in 42 pounds of PD and 25 pounds of OTC. Orrville received 24.5 pounds of PD and 10.5 pounds of OTC. Rittman had 16 pounds of PD come in, while Brunswick saw the largest numbers, including 181 pounds of PD and 106 pounds of OTC drugs.
Garrett said that while people had the choice of simply stopping in, dropping off their drugs and leaving, many wanted to know more, and the most commonly heard comment was that while they wanted to get rid of the drugs, many people had no idea how to do so properly.
“It’s a learning experience,” said Garrett.
“In addition to the annual Take Back Day, Garrett said that MEDWAY is working on installing 10 permanent drop boxes throughout the Wayne/Holmes area, which would allow people the opportunity to drop off drugs at a more regular time frame.
Currently, the Millersburg Police Department has a box installed at their offices, and it is available daily until midnight.
“Even once we get those in place, we will still participate in the Take Back Day, because it helps create a better awareness of the issues,” said Garrett.
Published: November 4, 2011
