DELCO gets involved in National Take Back Day

The common adage used to be that marijuana was the “gateway drug” but times sure have changed. Statistics, provided by the DEA, explain that every day, on average 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. Studies conducted by the DEA in a National Survey on Drug Use and Health, shows that in 2009 alone, 400,000 more people recreationally used pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives for the first time rather than marijuana.

One of the biggest problems with prescription drugs is that people do not view them as harmful as “street drugs.” Yet, according to the Center for Disease Control prescription drugs—opioids and antidepressants, are responsible for more overdose deaths than “street drugs” such as, cocaine and heroine, are.

So how do we begin to remedy this problem? How do community members ensure that their medicine cabinets are not unintentionally dealing drugs? Participate in National Take Back Day. http://www.dea.gov/

This Saturday, September 25, from 10am to 2pm the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will host the first-ever nationwide prescription drug take-back day. Glenolden Borough Hall, along with Aldan, Springfield, Brookhaven, Upper Darby, Upper Chichester, Media, Upland, Eddystone, Ridley Park, Tinicum, Devon, Wayne and Sharon Hill are among the 14 locations countywide that will serve as a drop box locations participating in this event. At the end of the day, the DEA will transport all prescription drugs to Media, the county seat for proper disposal.

The DEA encourages citizens to properly dispose of these medications at the drop boxes. Flushing the prescription down the toilet is not a method of proper disposal. Recent Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have detected pharmaceutical drugs varying in concentration in the water supply. To ensure that water stays pure and people are not abusing these prescriptions the take-back program is the best way to dispose of old drugs.

Recent studies show the majority of abused prescriptions drugs are obtained from family and friends medicine cabinets and the hope of this campaign is to eliminate that factor. This program hopes to make communities safer and lives healthier by preventing increased pill abuse and theft. Residents and community members are encouraged to bring all unused prescriptions, including those that are old and expired, to these sites for destruction. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

To find a drop location nearest you, go to http://www.dea.gov/ and type in your zip code.