MOORESVILLE POLICE PLANS PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK EVENT

MOORESVILLE, N.C.- On Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Mooresville Police Department, in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your medications for disposal to Walmart at Consumer Square-169 Norman Station Boulevard. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Over the past two years, Mooresville Police Department has collected and destroyed over 3,300 pounds of prescription drugs through take-back events and its drug drop box located at the Police Department.  Since this initiative began on October, 2010, over 5.5 million pounds of prescription drugs have been collected nationwide.

This initiative addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.5 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs.  That same study showed that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.  Eighty percent of heroin users report abusing prescription pain medicines prior to turning to heroin.

The DEA’s take-back events are also a significant piece of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s prescription drug abuse prevention strategy.  For more information, contact Daniel Miglin at dmiglin@ci.mooresville.nc.us or 704.658.9026.