The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.) will host its 17th Annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 27, 2019. People across America are encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets of expired and unused prescriptions and bring them to one of the designated disposal sites around their community from 10:00 – 2:00 P.M. that day.
By taking back prescription drugs, the D.E.A. provides you with the opportunity to give back to your community, your nation, and the environment. That’s what makes this program so successful. Last year alone, National Take Back Day resulted in 457.12 tons of prescription drugs taken back by 4770 law enforcement agencies and 5,839 sites.
Take Back to Give Back
Community
When you take your expired and unused prescriptions to one of the designated disposal sites, you are giving back to your community in ways that you might not even realize. One important way is by helping to reduce the number of accidental poisonings in your own community. In 2011, 67,700 children ages 4 and under were seen in emergency departments for accidental medication. In emergency department cases where information is known, 38% involved a grandparent’s medicine, 31% the mother’s medicine, 12% a sibling’s medicine and 8% the father’s medicine. In some situations, the pill was found on the ground, on a counter or nightstand or in a pillbox. In only 6% of cases, the medicine was safely stored in a cabinet or drawer.
Nation
When you take your unwanted controlled medications to a disposal site, you are helping to ensure that they don’t get into the wrong hands. The growing Opioid crisis in America spans across all areas of the country. According to the CDC, 46 people die every day from overdoses, involving prescription opioids. One of the best ways to avert this tragedy is by reducing exposure to these drugs. Getting them out of your home helps keep them off the street. This can go a long way to helping solve this national crisis. The CDC recognizes that health care providers also have a responsibility to prevent misuse by limiting prescriptions and treating opioid use disorders.
Environment
Pharmaceuticals can be introduced into water sources through sewage that comes from individuals and patients who have used these chemical and from uncontrolled drug disposal (e.g. discarding drugs into toilets).
The most appropriate approach to minimize the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking-water and reduce human exposure is to prevent or reduce their entry into the water. This can be achieved through a combination of preventive measures, including enhanced communication to the public on rational drug use and disposal of pharmaceuticals (e.g. avoid flushing unused drugs down the toilet), education for prescribers and systematic drug take-back programs such as the National Prescription Drug Take-Back program. Taking your unwanted prescriptions to a proper disposal site is a significant way to keep them from harming the environment.
Noting that pharmaceuticals in drinking-water are an emerging issue, the World Health Organization promises they will continue to review relevant scientific evidence and, where necessary, update the public on their findings. You can trust that Pharma Logistics will remain diligent on our part to stay abreast of the situation.
Now that we’ve explained all the great ways that the National Prescription Drug Take-Back program can help you to give back to your community, the nation, and the environment, we’d like to help you to be an active participant.
Pharma Logistics partners with its customers to offer an easy and convenient way for the community to properly dispose of their over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, and controlled prescription drugs. This disposal helps to prevent prescription drug abuse, accidental poisoning and environmental hazards such as water contamination. We are committed to helping communities across the nation contribute to this very important mission. In fact, over the last two years, Pharma Logistics has received a total of 1,273 kits with a total weight of 25,767 lbs. That goes a long way in creating safer communities, a cleaner environment and helping to diminish the nation’s opioid crisis. To earn more about Pharma Logistics’ Drug Take-Back Services call us at 888.729.7427 or email to plcustomerservice@pharmalogistics.com.