Wauseon, OH — On National Drug Take Back Day, Saturday October, 22nd seven Fulton County locations collected 123.4 pounds of unused or expired prescription medications. There was a steady flow of Fulton County residents who brought in their bags and boxes of unused or unneeded pharmaceuticals for proper disposal through the DEA. “National Drug Take Back Day is a great way to care for our community. It helps us environmentally by keeping our water sources and landfills cleaner and it helps to ensure that medications are used only as they are prescribed,” stated Beth Thomas, Healthy Choices Caring Community (HC3) Program Director.
The DEA has organized the “Take Back Days” nationally to dispose of solid medications such as capsules and tablets for free and they occur twice per year, in April and October. Debra Bowman,BSN, RN, CCRN, CEN, CPEN, Emergency Department Manager at Fulton County Health Center and Head of HC3’s Opiate Task Force states, “Unused prescriptions create a safety concern because they can be misused and abused. Misuse or abuse of prescriptions can lead to drug addiction. Drug Take Back Day provides us with a safe way to dispose of unused medications. However, you do not need to wait for a Drug Take Back Day to dispose of unused medications as many police departments have locked boxes available all year”.
Fulton County is very fortunate to have five drop off locations that can be used throughout the year.
Please visit:
Swanton Police Department – Mon – Fri from 8:00am – 4:30pm
Fayette Police Department – Mon – Fri from 7:00am – 3:00pm, Sat from 8:00am – 3:00pm, Sun from 9:00am – 3:00pm
Wauseon Police Department – Anytime 24/7
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office – Anytime 24/7
Archbold Police Department – Mon – Fri from 8:30am – 12:30 pm and 1:30pm – 4:30pm
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, abuse of prescription drugs to get high has become increasingly prevalent among teens and young adults. Past abuse of prescription pain killers now ranks second—only behind marijuana—as the Nation’s most prevalent illegal drug problem. In recent findings, 50% of heroin addictions start with prescription drugs. Don’t leave them in your medicine cabinet!
Healthy Choices Caring Communities, an initiative of the Fulton County Family & Children First Council, is a group of community members working together to prevent and reduce youth use of alcohol and other drugs in Fulton County. To become a member of the HC3, or for more information, contact Beth Thomas, Program Director, at 419-337-0915 or visit www.HC3Partnership.org
INFORMATION PROVIDED