Maple Grove Police Took in Nearly 2,220 Pounds of Medicine in 2016

During 2016, the Maple Grove Police Department took in nearly 2,220 pounds of medicines with its "Drug Take Back Box." The effort is a part of the government's goal of reducing the risks of drug abuse by taking unused medicines out of local communities.

The abuse of and addiction to opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain relievers is a serious problem that affects the health, social, and economic welfare of Minnesota and the entire nation.

Rising drug overdose deaths

Drug overdose deaths among Minnesota residents reveals an alarming trend, jumping 11 percent from 2014 to 2015. Preliminary data collected from Minnesota death certificates show 572 people in 2015 died from a drug overdose as compared to 516 in 2014, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

It is estimated that 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The consequences of this abuse have been devastating and are on the rise. The number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has soared in the United States, more than quadrupling since 1999.

There is also growing evidence to suggest a relationship between increased non-medical use of opioid analgesics and heroin abuse in the United States.

In Battle Against Opioid Addiction, Maple Grove Police to Carry Narcan

Between 2007 - 2015, Minnesota took in more than 315,000 pounds of collected drugs.

Collecting unused drugs is one part of the government's approach to combating the nation’s opioid epidemic.

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