Lakes Area Community Coalition Working with Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to keep opiates away from our youth

Lakes Area Community Coalition is partnering with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for the DEA’s (Drug Enforcement Agency) National Drug Take Back Day. This program allows people to properly dispose of any expired/unused prescriptions safely and anonymously. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), prescription drugs are the third-most abused substance among teens. Research also shows that 75% of abused prescriptions come from the family medicine cabinet. Over 150 deaths occur each day due to prescription opiate overdoses.

Many families have unused and expired prescription drugs in easily accessible locations, including stimulants and opioids that are commonly abused or misused. This program is designed to encourage people to dispose of those drugs in a safe way to help protect our youth from misuse of prescription drugs. At the last DEA take back day in April, Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.

LACC is hosting a drop-off event on October 28 from 10-2pm at the Oakland County Sheriff's Commerce Township Sub-Station at 2401 Glengary. The Lakes Area Coalition members will be educating the public on the dangers of prescription drug abuse, preventative measures and for the first 200 visitors that bring their prescriptions in, a prescription lock box. Prescription lock boxes help keep prescription meds out of the wrong hands. For year-round prescription drug drop off, the Oakland County Sheriff’s office offers the Operation Medicine Cabinet program. Click here for a full list of prescription drug drop-off sites.

About Lakes Area Community Coalition

The Lakes Area Community Coalition is a 501 c 3 that provides programming that helps local youth make healthier choices; learn necessary tools for the successful navigation of life and be more resilient in the face of life's challenges. The LACC works collaboratively with the Alliance Coalitions for Healthy Communities, 17 other Oakland County community coalitions and Oakland County Health Network to assess, evaluate and implement services and programs to meet the needs of the citizens of Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake, Wixom and Commerce Township. Help us create a healthy, vibrant drug free community. To learn more, visit www.lakesareacc.org. Connect on Facebook.