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.
