Join in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Friday, October 21, 2011

Several local communities are taking part in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 29, and you should participate.

Here’s the drill: Anyone wanting to dispose of drugs that have expired or are no longer needed or wanted can bring them to their local drop off point. Often, that is the local police station but if you check last week’s Journal, you’ll find the information that you need.

Now this might seem a small thing, getting rid of prescription drugs that you no longer want. Why not throw them into the garbage? Because, generally, people don’t and in 2009, the Substance Abuse and Mental Halth Services Administration found that more than 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs.

How, you might wonder, will suggesting that they bring them to the police fight that abuse? Awareness. Really, that’s what any anti-drug abuse program is about. You have to get people thinking with the hope that by thinking, they’ll find their way out of whatever situation they’ve found themselves in.

Or perhaps a relative or friend will help them.

By holding a program like the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, officials create a climate of awareness and that’s never a bad thing.

The cool thing here is that it’s painless to participate (i.e., easy). Once you have checked last week’s Journal to determine where your dropoff point is, all you have to do is collect the medicines you no longer need, jump into the car and drive to that point. Your friendly local police officer, or perhaps someone else but equally friendly, will collect them from you and dispose of them properly.

As you drive home, perhaps you can ponder the whole concept of prescription drugs: Are you taking too many? Are you forgetting about them and leaving them around where kids can find them? That’s dangerous.

Obviously, people have drugs they want to get rid of. During the last take-back day, in October, Merrimack collected 129 pounds of unwanted drugs. Think about that: Drugs don’t weigh much so in order to collect 129 pounds, people had to drop off a lot of drugs.

So, if you have some, get involved this time.

Can’t hurt.