Columbus Public Health to Hold Drug Drop-Off to Protect Residents and Environment
Press
Release
October 26,
2017
Contact
Kelli Newman
Myers
614-645-7213
[email protected]
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Columbus Public Health to Hold Drug Drop-Off to Protect
Residents and Environment
Drugs in Medicine
Cabinets can be Misused, Contribute to Addiction and Overdose
Columbus
Public Health is partnering with the Columbus Division of Police, SWACO and
Columbus City Council to collect unwanted, unneeded and expired medications for
safe disposal in order to protect local residents and the environment. The
drive-thru event will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, October 28, at
Columbus Public Health, 240 Parsons Ave.
Residents can drop off prescriptions, needles and
over-the-counter pills, patches, vitamins and pet medications. To protect
our volunteers, please make sure syringes are secured in a puncture resistant
container. Liquids of any kind, gel caps, creams, aerosol cans, thermometers
and inhalers will not be accepted.
According to
the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 51 percent of people who misused
prescription painkillers received them from a friend or relative for free, and
22 percent got them from a doctor. As a result, approximately 73 percent of
these prescription pain killers likely came from a medicine cabinet.
Additionally, national data verifies that around 80 percent of heroin users
began their journey toward addiction by first misusing prescription pain
killers.
“The misuse
of prescription painkillers is how many heroin users begin their journey toward
this deadly drug,” says Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long. “I
encourage all residents to help by getting medications they don’t use or need
out of their medicine cabinets and bringing them to Columbus Public Health for
safe and proper disposal.”
“Proper
disposal of prescription drugs is a vital step to help fight the opioid
epidemic because many abusing these drugs get them from friends or family
members,” said Council President Zach Klein. “Participating in Columbus
Public Health’s Drug Drop-Off Day allows the community to be an active part of
the solution.”
In
addition to the dangers of misuse, medicine can also damage the environment. Pharmaceuticals flushed down the
toilet can end up in the water system and medicines thrown in the trash can
eventually make their way into ground and surface water.
The Columbus
Public Health Drug Drop-Off event is part of the Drug Enforcement
Administration’s (DEA) national Take-Back Day which includes six central Ohio
Kroger stores and thousands of other collection sites across the country. In
its last three local drug drop-off events, Columbus Public Health collected
more than 560 pounds of medicine for safe disposal.
For more
information, visit Columbus Public Health at www.publichealth.columbus.gov or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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