Community Corner
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day This Saturday at Pelham Police Headquarters
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Scheduled for This Saturday, April 26, 10am-2pm
Drop Off Old Prescriptions at Pelham Police Headquarters
[Pelham, NY] – Expired, unused, or unwanted prescriptions may be dropped off this Saturday, April 26 from 10 am - 2 pm to the Pelham Police Department headquarters at the back door to Town Hall for disposal as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The service, which is free, anonymous with no questions asked, is provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration and locally sponsored by PACT (pelhampact.org) in partnership with the Pelham Police Department.
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This national initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. More than 2,000 teens begin abusing prescription drugs each day (SAMSHA). Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, pose potential safety and health hazards.
Westchester County Attorney Janet DiFiore shares her concern "over the epidemic of prescription drug abuse, specifically the misuse of oxycodone and hydrocodone, powerful and highly-addictive narcotic prescription pain relievers. As parents, we have an important responsibility to pay careful attention to prescription pain medication that we have at home, and to discard any unused prescription medications. Oxycodone is prescribed under the brand names of OxyContin, Roxicet, Percocet, and Endocet, while hydrocodone is sold under the brand names Vicodin, Lorcet and Lortab.”
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Furthermore, a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that people aged 12 to 49 who had used prescription pain relievers non-medically were 19 times more likely to have initiated heroin use recently (within the past 12 months of being interviewed) than others in that age group. "With many parents experiencing the devastating effects of heroin use on youth in the Hudson Valley, we encourage parents to take an inventory of their medicine cabinets, dispose of unneeded medication and to talk to their children about the risks of prescription drug misuse," says PACT Coalition Director, Virginia Hartmere.
PACT is a community coalition encouraging youth to make healthy, safe and substance free choices. Visit us at pelhampact.org for more information on its programs and like us on Facebook.