Weekly Address: Dispose of Your Expired and Unwanted Prescription Drugs

[cal04]

Source: White House

In this week's address, on “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day,” the President spoke about the importance of preventing and treating substance use disorders.

Read more: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/26/weekly-address-dispose-your-expired-and-unwanted-prescription-drugs

---

Today, September 26th, is “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.” It’s a day where you can safely, conveniently, and responsibly dispose of expired and unwanted prescription drugs at collection sites in your community.

Here’s why this matters. More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in car crashes. And most of those deaths aren’t due to drugs like cocaine or heroin – but rather prescription drugs. In 2013 alone, overdoses from prescription pain medications killed more than 16,000 Americans. And most young people who begin misusing prescription drugs don’t buy them in some dark alley – they get them from the medicine cabinet.

If that’s not a good enough reason to participate in “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day,” here’s another. Many prescription pain medications belong to the same class of drugs as heroin. In fact, four in five heroin users started out by misusing prescription drugs. And over the course of just one year, between 2013 and 2014, we saw a 33% increase in the number of heroin users.

All of this takes a terrible toll on too many families, in too many communities, all across the country – big and small, urban and rural. It strains law enforcement and treatment programs. It costs all of us – in so many different ways.

more at link
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/26/weekly-address-dispose-your-expired-and-unwanted-prescription-drugs

[Geronimoe]

1. Too late

My county took part in this two weeks ago. News always tells us about events that are over.

[Ed Suspicious]

11. Yes they do. Useless in many ways.

[Staph]

12. In most of West Virginia,

Take Back day is today. I took a bag of my old anti-nausea and pain meds from cancer treatment a couple of years ago. My county had at least a half dozen collection centers set up.

[rpannier]

2. Republicans will now be hoarding them

Probably also be taking expired meds

Well played Mr President

[iandhr]

3. Beat me to it.

Trying to prevent drug abuse will now be portrayed as a communist plot.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Palin will probably appear publicly, and take some old pills with her Big Gulp.

[center]





[/center]
Only a commie would want to take away your old, expired pills you paid for with your own "In God We Trust" American money.

They'll have to take mine from my cold, dead hands.

[valerief]

7. Republicans. CIA. All the heroin they want. nt

[moonscape]

13. Um - I'm a democrat and

I hoard and take expired meds. Expiration dates on most tablets are designed for the pharmaceutical industry, not patients.

Of course, I'm an educated consumer, know exactly what I'm taking and don't abuse medication ...

[SoapBox]

4. Who, where, when....?

I wish I knew about this...where the heck would I even look in to this.

I have a whole chest of drawers full of my Mom's old meds...she passed away in January.

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. Call your local police department

Our local PD collects old pharma 24/7/365. What they don't keep/sell they destroy so it doesn't go into the ground water.

[valerief]

6. Gun deaths are poised to surpass automobile deaths in the United States this year.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/americas-top-killing-machine/384440/

So drug overdoses aren't the only means of death surpassing car crashes.

[Lychee2]

8. This is what the leader of the free world has to say to us?

[hollowdweller]

9. Benzodiazapenes ad opoids are almost used for currency around here

The average wage here is so low if somebody gets a bottle of painkillers they are likely to be sold to make a truck payment.

It's no surprise that the problem is most severe poor areas. Increasing wages and decreasing inequality will do far more to stop the problem than turning them in or law enforcement.

[jtuck004]

10. ". Increasing wages and decreasing inequality will do far more to stop the problem" < You and me

are gonna find someone else who thinks that someday too.

I wonder if any party will ever have a leader who stands up there and says what we all know to be true?

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Pope coverage here pre-empted the address on the local station

so thanks for posting!

One thing I wish they would do with this effort is advertise it more persistently. They will often alert to it the day before or day of... In fact, I do understand that a number of pharmacies offer this service all year (in addition to recycling empty prescription bottles).

[Hestia]

16. Medical groups that go Africa & other countries are begging for antibiotics and other drugs for

the patients they see there who do not have the funds for medicines. I'd rather that they actually get used in programs like that rather than just crushed and dumped or whatever it is that happens to them. We've never actually heard what happens to the old drugs have we?