April 5, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set for Saturday, April 27. As part of this major health and safety initiative, the DeKalb Prevention Coalition will host this take-back event at Smithville City Hall and the Alexandria City Hall from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m..
Community members are encouraged to stop by these local take-back locations to drop off their unused or expired medications, especially pain relievers and other prescription drugs. Health Care and law enforcement officers will be on hand to accept the medications and safely dispose of them, no questions asked.
Many people cleaned out their medicine cabinets for the last disposal in October. In fact, 46 pounds of prescription drugs were collected that day in Smithville.
The event was supported by the DeKalb County Health Department, Department of Children Services, and local constables.
“Two-thirds of Tennesseans said the main sources of prescription pain pills for those who abuse them are family members or friends,” said Lisa Cripps, Coordinator of DPC. “Take-back days are a safe and easy way to get these drugs out of your home.”
“Count It! Lock It! Drop It! is a comprehensive community program for prescription drug abuse prevention. The program’s focus is for all Tennesseans to count their pills, keep them locked away, and safely drop them in an official drop box to prevent others from accessing them,” said Kristina Clark, co-founder of Count It! Lock It! Drop It!TM.
“With 52 percent of individuals statewide having concerns about a loved one’s becoming addicted, we want to provide more opportunities for people to safely dispose of their medications. National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day occurs twice a year, so we can better prevent these addictive drugs from getting into the wrong hands.”
If you can’t make it to a take-back event, visit http://countitlockitdropit.org/drop-box-finder/ to find a drop box in your community.
About CLD
Count It! Lock It! Drop It!TM (CLD) is a comprehensive community program for prescription drug misuse prevention based in Coffee County, Tenn. With support from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, and the community at large, the program is leading a statewide education effort to combat the misuse and abuse of prescription pain medication. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, 7,636,112 opioid prescriptions were written in 2016, and it is CLD’s mission to make the community aware of the risks and dangers associated with the prescription drug misuse epidemic.
About DEA Take-Back Events
In April 2017, Americans turned in more than 900,000 pounds of prescription drugs at almost 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Tennesseans discarded 31,183 pounds of prescription drugs. In its 12 previous take-back events, the DEA and its partners have collected more than 6.4 million pounds – about 3,200 tons – of pills. For more information on the National Take-Back Initiative, visit https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/.