Monday, April 16, 2018
DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day set for April 28
Press release
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set for Saturday, April 28. As part of this major health and safety initiative, the Lawrence County Substance Abuse Coalition (LCSAC) and the Sheriff’s Department will host a take-back event in Lawrence County from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
According to the DEA’s Atlanta Division, formerly Tennessee’s field division, a record 34 tons (68,053 pounds) of drugs were collected in Tennessee during the October 2017 Take-Back Day. On that one day, Tennesseans turned in more drugs than Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio combined.
To help maintain these record-setting numbers, community members are encouraged to stop by a local take-back location to drop off their unused or expired medications, especially pain relievers and other prescription drugs. Law enforcement officers and pharmacists will be on hand to accept the medications and safely dispose of them, no questions asked.
Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at WLX Country Café located at 1212 N. Locust Avenue
“Fifty-three percent of Americans who use prescription drugs recreationally got them from a friend or relative according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,” said Jenny Golden, Director, LCSAC. “Take-Back Days are a safe and easy way to protect your loved ones and to get these drugs out of your home.”
“Count It! Lock It! Drop It! is a comprehensive community initiative funded by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation that works to empower and educate individuals on how they can help prevent prescription drug misuse,” said Kristina Clark, co-founder of Count It! Lock It! Drop It!®. “The initiative’s focus is three easy steps anyone can take to prevent others from accessing their drugs: Count their pills, keep them locked away, and safely dispose of them in an official drop box.”
“With 64 percent of Tennesseans’ knowing someone who has become addicted to prescription pain medication, we want to provide more opportunities for people to safely dispose of their medications,” said Dr. Andrea Willis, senior vice president and chief medical officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. “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!® (CLD) is a comprehensive community initiative 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 initiative is leading a statewide effort to combat the misuse of prescription medication. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, 7,636,112 opioid prescriptions were written in 2016, and it is CLD’s mission is to create a cultural shift around prescription drug misuse to help keep communities safe and drug-free.
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/.
