Drug Take Back Weekend a Success, Says Local Law Enforcement
Sheriff Stevie Thomas stands by bags of prescription drugs turned in by citizens on National Drug Take Back Day.
Local law enforcement is hailing last weekend’s prescription pill take back campaign as a big success.
Every year, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its national, tribal, and community partners holds the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
This year it was on Saturday, October 26th.
Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas said a record number of old and unused prescription medications were turned in over the take back weekend.
“This year Franklin County citizens gave back over 71lbs of pills,” said Thomas. “I would like to thank everybody who participated in our pill take back with the DEA.”
In Hart County, Sheriff Mike Cleveland said they collected over ten pounds of unwanted and expired prescription pills.
“It wasn’t as much as we took in last year and not as much as we would have liked, but even if you get one or two prescription bottles of pills turned in, it’s that much more we have off the streets getting into the wrong hands,” Cleveland said.
Thomas said prescription drugs left in medicine cabinets create a public health and safety concern because they can easily be misused and abused.
The DEA says studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are not obtained from strangers, but from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
According to the DEA, rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high.
The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports almost twice as many Americans (6.8 million) currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those abusing cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants combined.