REMINDER — Prescription Medicine Drop-Off Event set for September 26 in North Myrtle Beach

The North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department will conduct a Prescription Medicine Drop-Off event on September 26, 10:00 a.m.-2:00p.m., in the former Staples Parking Lot, 244 Highway 17 North in North Myrtle Beach.

Interested persons may bring unused, expired and unwanted prescription and over the counter medicines to the event and Public Safety personnel will dispose of them properly. This service is free and anonymous. No names will be taken, nor will questions be asked of those who participate in the drop-off.

Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the Drop-Off site—liquids and needles or other sharps will not be accepted.

Unused medications in homes create a public health and safety concern, because they can be accidentally ingested, stolen, misused, and abused. According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, while the number of Americans who currently abuse prescription drugs dropped in 2013 to 6.5 million from 6.8 million in 2012, that is still more than double the number of those using heroin, cocaine, and hallucinogens like LSD and Ecstasy combined.

In addition, 22,134 Americans died in 2011 from overdoses of prescription medications, including 16,651 from narcotic painkillers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov). The survey of users also found that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Nearly 4,000 law enforcement agencies around the country will participate in what is the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) ninth event. There will be more than 5,200 collection sites set up across the country, and the North Myrtle Beach site will be one of them.

North Myrtle Beach has been a national leader in the DEA-sponsored collection events, and the department hopes to achieve the same result this time around.

During the September 26 event, Public Safety personnel will also be available to help install child passenger seats or check installed seats for proper installation.