Syracuse, NY – Prescription drug abuse is on the rise throughout the country and it is affecting many teenagers and young adults throughout Central New York. According to a report by the substance abuse and mental health services administration, there were approximately 7.0 million persons aged 12 or older who abused prescription drugs last year.
That represents a 0.3% (roughly 800,000 person) increase from 2008.
With prescription drug use on the rise, Central New York is taking steps to to combat the problem. On Saturday, September 25th, the first national Take Back Initiative will take place across the country. Between 10am and 2pm, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency will have over 34,000 different locations across the county set up drop boxes for people to stop by with their legalized prescription drugs and turn them into authorites without any questions asked.
Participating Locations
The Canastota Police department is one of 13 different locations throughout Central New York taking part in the initiative this weekend. Police Chief James Zophy believes the program is especially important due to the increase in kids getting their hands on prescription drugs.
“They’re easier to get” said Zophy. “Grandparents have a lot of medication. Usually they change them frequently. Most people store their medications at home, therefore children have access to them. They really don’t know what they’re taking. They take it. Experiment with it. If it gives them some euphoria they then may label that drug as something in which they want their friends to use or try.”
Participants in the program may dispose of medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and placing it into the disposal boxes at each site location. Zophy believes the program is very straight forward and he encourages people across Central New York to turn in their unused prescription drugs.
“All anybody will have to (do) is knock on the door, say they’re here with their medications to turn them in. No questions asked. You don’t have to leave your name. We’ll just accept them. We will store them and then the DEA will come back and collect them and destroy them so they are not put in landfills.”
“We’re trying to get as many people to turn in their drugs locally as possible” said Zophy. “If you don’t live here, that’s fine. We have a centralized location. If you feel more comfortable and you get off the thurway and that’s where you want to leave them, by all means.”
BRiDGES Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Susan Jenkins of BRiDGES Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Subtance Abuse is a major proponent of these initiatives to collect prescription drugs. While this will be the third time her company participates in a take back program, it’s the first time they will be involved with the national initative. Jenkins feels it’s key to get unused prescription drugs out of circulation.
“It’s important for two reasons” said Jenkins. “One is because many people have expired medication in their shelves and in boxes. We feel that if you get them off the shelves, then they are not accesible to be misused by young people. So getting them away. Reducing accesibility. The other and we had a presentation last fall, is to keep it out of our water source. The old recommendations were to flush it down the toilet but it goes right into our water system and it’s been found to be really a negative impact on the environment. It’s really great for the environment and it takes all of those over the counter and prescription medications out of circulation.”
Although the use of narcotics such as cocaine has actually decreased nationwide over the past year, prescription drug abuse among people 12-17 has seen a major spike. Jenkins thinks prescription drug abuse is so dangerous because it can be caused by something as simple as a minor injury.
“Prescription narcotics are something we have seen a great increase in” said Jenkins. “Not just among with teens and we have seen that. But we’ve also seen it among adults. The may have been prescribed it initially for some back problems or some pain and they start using it as prescribed but over time they start using it more and more and then trying to figure out other ways to obtain it. We’ve seen some local tragedies with it as well.
For more information on the first ever National Takeback initiative as well as details as the effects of prescription drug abuse, visit www.dea.gov.
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