| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 6920 | 2011-10-13 | Statewide | Third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Upcoming |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent Region I – News Release
Third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Upcoming Baton Rouge – Louisiana State Police will again partner with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Saturday, October 29 for its third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Troopers will be available to collect unused or expired medication for safe disposal from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm at Troops across the state. This is a confidential program and no questions will be asked during the collection process. During the past two events, Troopers have seen an overwhelming turnout of people and collected a huge amount of prescription medication. During the last four-hour event, which took place in April, Troopers at Troop A in Baton Rouge collected nearly seventy pounds of prescription medication, totaling over 100,000 individual pills. These pills came in all sorts of quantities and containers, and most were collected in their original prescription bottles. Some people were bringing in very large quantities of dangerous prescription medication that they did not even realize existed in their kitchen cabinets. Hundreds of expired prescriptions collected were originally issued in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. The oldest prescription medication collected so far dated back to 1973. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high. According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “More Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined.” Studies show that individuals who abuse prescription drugs often obtained them from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards. Contact your local PIO for more information regarding the event. Contact Information: TFC Russell G. Graham II Louisiana State Police – Troop A Office: (225) 754-8524 russell.graham@dps.gov | |||
| No attachments for this article. | |||