National Drug Take-Back on April 27 at three local hospitals
On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. join the Manassas City Police Department, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in preventing pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. In Manassas, residents can participate at Prince William Hospital, 8700 Sudley Road. Other locations include Heathcote Health Center in Haymarket and Sentara Lake Ridge in Woodbridge. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
In its four previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners collected over two million pounds of pills. Nearly 1,018 tons of prescription drugs are now out of circulation. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose potential safety and health hazards.
The DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies such as Manassas Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months. To search for a collection site near you, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov
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In addition to taking back old prescriptions at one of these events, consider the following safety tips to manage prescriptions drugs in the home:
· Consider using the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions.
· When seeing a new doctor or specialist, be sure to inform the doctor of all the medicine that is currently prescribed to you.
· When storing your prescriptions at home, keep them in a cool, dry place where children, pets and visitors do not have access to them. Don’t store your medicine where guests can easily see them.
· Do not broadcast the types of medicine that are prescribed to you, and be open to the fact in some cases even a member of your family or an employee may be the one trying to steal your medicine.
· Consider securing any narcotic medications such as oxycontin, vicodin, or morphine in a locked or secure cabinet to reduce the possibility of theft.
For more information on the National Take-Back Initiative, or for more tips on how to safely manage your prescription drugs, contact the Manassas City Police Department Community Services Section at (703) 257-8092.
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