Safely Dispose of Your Unwanted Medications illcreek
MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP NEWS
Medication accumulation in the home and improper disposal of medications can lead to a variety of public health concerns , including environmental issues , accidental poisonings , wasted healthcare resources , and drug diversion .
14 Millcreek
When taken as directed for valid medical purposes , prescription drugs can be safe and effective . However , in 2015 , 18.9 million people ages 12 and older misused prescription medications , with 12.5 million people misusing prescription pain relievers , including opioids 1 . Misuse of prescription medications often leads to illicit drug use , including heroin , fentanyl , or cocaine 2 .
America has been fighting a drug overdose epidemic for years , and it continues to get worse . It is estimated that in 2016 , there were 64,000 overdose deaths in the United States . This is approximately a 20 % increase over 2015 , and 2017 is expected to see an even greater increase from 2016 . A large portion of the deaths involved opioids , including prescription pain medications and illicit drugs 3 .
Pennsylvania and Erie county emulate the national trends . In 2015 , Pennsylvania reported over 3,500 overdose deaths , and final 2016 data is expected to be over 5,000 overdose deaths . Erie county also jumped drastically from approximately 70 deaths in 2015 to over 100 in 2016 .
Proper disposal of prescription medications has received heightened national and local attention as an effort to decrease the abuse of prescription drugs and prevent overdose deaths . Surprisingly , over half of individuals that abused prescription pain relievers obtained them illegally from friends or relatives 3 . In fact , over 40 % of student drug users in Pennsylvania indicated that they had taken prescription drugs from the medicine cabinets in their homes 4 . Simply put , unused or expired medications stored in the home increases the risk of diversion and abuse .
To assist with the safe disposal of unused or expired medications in the home , there are a variety of options accessible to the public . Locally , various law enforcement officials and one pharmacy in Erie County have made available Medication Return Units ( MRUs ), where local residents can safely dispose of unused medications on a regular basis . Last year , local MRUs collected almost 6,000 pounds of medication ( list of current MRUs provided below ). Additionally , the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ) currently offers the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day twice a year ( typically in the fall and spring ). Information on these events can be found at http :// www . deadiversion . usdoj . gov / drug _ disposal /.