PEA RIDGE — Reducing risks to the environment and the youth, area residents may safely dispose of unwanted, unused and expired medications safely with the second annual drug take back initiative.
Medications may be taken to the Pea Ridge Police Department at 187 Slack Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Local law enforcement agencies around the state are working in concert with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“We had great results last year,” Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said. Last year’s pickup was held at City Hall. This year it will be in the new police station across the street from Community First Bank.
The returned drugs are boxed, picked up by DEA and incinerated.
Returning expired or unused medications helps:
◊Prevent youth prescription abuse - more than one in five Arkansas high school seniors have abused prescription drugs in their lifetimes and most obtain the drugs from their family members’ medicine cabinets.
◊Minimize dangers - when taken in any manner other than directed bya doctor, prescription drugs are just as dangerous as illegal drugs.
◊Reverse consequences of prescription drug abuse.
In this nation, in 2008, according to the DEA, parents of children under the age of 5 made more than 99,000 trips to the emergency room due to their children accidentally ingesting prescription drugs.
◊Control pollution - flushing drugs down the toilet can harm surface water, ground water, septic tanks, streams, rivers and lakes.
◊Eliminate contamination - prescription drugs in streams have been shown to negatively impact aquatic life.
News, Pages 1 on 04/20/2011