Chances are there are old prescriptions in your medicine cabinet – pills you never intend to use again. According to Lt. Robby Lint, others who live in or visit your home might have a different idea.
“Especially if you have children in the house, teenagers, other people living in the residence. We’ve seen an increase in addiction because of these pills,” Lint said. “The means of opportunity of them being around is something we’d like to avoid, that’s why we have the programs out here now for the take back.”
The upcoming National Prescription Drug Take Back Day scheduled for April 28, is among take-back programs to dispose of old drugs, according to Lint.
Julie Cole, the executive director of the Courage Center says the event is a way for people to turn in unused pills at designated drop off locations – no questions asked.
“This is not a trap to get anyone in trouble,” Cole said. “This is a very intentional day with all of the outreach and awareness around it so that they can try to make an impact on the issue of prescription drug misuse.”
Lint said addiction the impact of addiction can be widespread in a person’s life.
“It doesn’t target one generation or one demographic or anything, it’s widespread,” Lint said. “These are people with educations, college education, high school educations. Low income, middle income, high income. It has no bounds.”
But the problem isn’t just linked to old pain medicines, either. Cole said any pill could pose a threat.
“Sometimes children don’t know what they’re accessing. When I worked in a school district, we would see middle-schoolers just grab whatever out of their parents’ cabinet because they didn’t know what they were getting. So properly disposing of all medications is really important.”
If you’d like to drop off old medications, visit our headquarters on Gibson Road and look for the collection boxes or check for a collection site near you on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website.