Cook County Residents Encouraged to Clean Out Medicine Cabinets for National Prescription Drug Take
Jenna Rainwater
Published: April 1, 2021
Prescription drug abuse is a growing concern in the U.S. with millions of people using prescription drugs non-medically according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Additionally, the Partnership for Drug Free Kids has found that one-third of teens believe it is OK to take a prescription drug for an injury or to deal with pain without a prescription. These numbers underscore not only the issue of prescription drug abuse, but the importance of proper handling and storage of prescription medications in the home.
The Cook County MEDS Disposal Initiative was created to educate our communities about proper medication management, storage, and disposal. We are on a mission to keep our families safe and grow stronger communities and neighborhoods by giving people the tools to prevent prescription drug diversion and abuse. One way to do that is to properly dispose of expired or unused medications at a secure take back location as soon as you no longer need them.
Prompt and proper disposal of over-the-counter and prescriptions medications prevents their diversion to misuse. The Cook County MEDS Disposal Initiative would like to remind residents that Saturday, April 24th is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and that many local police offices will be hosting special take back events to collect expired or unused medications. To find an event near you visit www.TakeBackDay.DEA.gov
This twice-a-year event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while educating the general public about the dangers of drug diversion. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day offers a great opportunity for Cook County residents to clean out those medicine cabinets and properly dispose of unused or expired medications.
If you miss National Drug Take Back Day, remember that you can properly dispose of your unused or expired medications every day with the help of www.CookCountyMEDS.org which has a map of the county’s year-round collection sites.
Cook County MEDS Disposal Initiative is a grassroots education campaign to share information about how to properly dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. When your medicines expire or are left over, we’re here to help you to properly dispose of them.
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