WELCOME
Is your medicine cabinet full of expired drugs or medications you no longer use? How should you dispose of them? Are you throwing them in the trash or the toilet?
In 2012, 90 percent of overdose deaths in Mississippi were caused by prescription drugs, and most were accidental. Proper storage and disposal of medications can prevent injuries and deaths from drug abuse and drug overdoses.
Prescription drug abuse is a national epidemic, killing over 300 Americans each week. Overdose deaths involving prescription painkillers have quadrupled since 1999 and now outnumber those from heroin and cocaine combined. In 2009, drug poisoning deaths surpassed traffic-related crashes as the leading cause of injury death in the United States.
But, there is a way to help prevent this epidemic. Many community-based drug “take-back” programs offer the best option.
Reduce Accidental Poisoning
Unwanted medicines left in the home endanger our children, seniors and pets. Poisonings from prescription and over-the-counter medicines are increasing. About half of the 37,000 phone calls to the Washington Poison Center concern young children who have been poisoned by medicines found at home.
Getting rid of unwanted medicines at a take-back program is an important part of being safe at home.
Unwanted medicines left in the home endanger our children, seniors and pets. Poisonings from prescription and over-the-counter medicines are increasing. About half of the 37,000 phone calls to the Washington Poison Center concern young children who have been poisoned by medicines found at home.
Getting rid of unwanted medicines at a take-back program is an important part of being safe at home.
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country. In Washington state almost 11% of teens use medicines for non-medical reasons - a rate that's among the highest in the nation. The abuse of medicines by teens often results in medical emergencies or fatal overdoses.
Most abusers of medicines, including teens, get the drugs from a friend or relative, often without their knowledge and not from a drug dealer. A safe medicine take-back program gets potentially dangerous leftover drugs out of our homes.