The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) is urging Tennesseans to get rid of their unneeded prescription medications later this week.
“Whether it’s a recent surgery, dental procedure, or clearing out a home after the death of a loved one, there are so many situations where people have mass quantities of medications just sitting around. Safe and secure disposal through Take Back Day events is just about the easiest way we all can have an impact on substance use and addiction in our communities,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. “And with deadly doses of illicit fentanyl being pressed into counterfeit pills, there’s never been a more important time to take back your medications so that young people never begin experimenting with medications they find in the home.”
Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a biannual event that particularly encourages Americans to dispose of prescription opioid pain relievers and stimulants, which can be habit-forming and lead to addictions or overdoses.
“On Take Back Day, community organizations including Tennessee’s Substance Use Prevention Coalitions partner with local law enforcement to collect medications and share information about their activities to prevent addiction,” according to TDMHSAS. “Medications can be safely and securely disposed with no questions asked.”
At the federal level, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a function of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat,” the DEA says. “DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.”
“DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths. While the community does its part to turn in unneeded medications and remove them from potential harm, we are doing our part to further reduce drug-related violence.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Marie Williams” by Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
