Politics & Government

County Hosts Third 'Take Back' Drug Event

County Council urges residents to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs at the county "Take Back" drug event on Oct. 29.

The announced the third 'Take Back' drug event–a nationwide intiative to collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs and properly dispose of them–that will occur at the end of the month.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 29 in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week, which occurs from Oct. 23-31. According to the county, Red Ribbon Week is a drug prevention program intiative started in 1985 after a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent named Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was killed by drug traffickers in Mexico. At his funeral, friends, relatives and well-wishers all wore red satin ribbons to represent the sacrifice he had made in trying to create a drug-free society. Today, red ribbons are worn to represent a commitment for a safe and drug-free society.

The Oct. 29 event is the county's third 'Take Back' event, in which the county notes that more than 1,000 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected and properly disposed of.

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"The 'Take Back' initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue," said County Council Chairman Jack Whelan. "Many people are not aware that medicines that sit in home cabinets are at a high risk for misuse and abuse. and their misuse can be deadly."

Several representatives from the law enforcement community, members of Intercommunity Health Department and the Office of Behavioral Health as well as the county's senior Medical Advisor Dr. George Avetian were present for Red Ribbon Week announcement.

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"In each of our households, there are various medications–whether a prescription or over the counter, they need to be stores, secured and disposed of in the proper fashion," addressed Avetian at Tuesday's meeting. "There's a potential for devastating consequences, if prescription drugs fall into the wrong hands, and this is also true for over-the-counter products. Medicines that sit in home cabinets are at a high risk of misuse and abuse. This is a serious threat found in each of our houses."

According to Avetian, every day approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. More than 7 million Americans abuse the use of prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Study, stated Avetian.

"The bottom line here is, store all medicine in a safe place, inaccessible to children and to others, who may potentially accidentally ingest or may intentionally seek these drugs for abuse," said Avetian. "But most importantly, remove them properly or destroy the drugs that have expired or no longer needed. Take advantage of this initiative and make your house a safer place to live."

In collaboration with the County Council, District Attorney G. Michael Green and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), 14 municipalities in the county will also participate in the collection of the disposable drugs on Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those municipalities include:

  • Aldan Municipal Building, 1 West Providence Rd., Clifton Heights
  • Brookhaven Municipal Center, 2 Cambridge Rd., Suite 200, Brookhaven
  • Eddystone Police Department at Lighthouse Hall, 1401 E. 9th St., Crum Lynne
  • Glenolden Police Department, 38 Boon Aven., Glenolden
  • Marcus Hook Community Center, 7 W Delaware Ave., Marcus Hook
  • at , 2910 Springfield Rd., Broomall
  • , 301 N. Jackson St., Media
  • , 1342 Baltimore Pike, Middletown
  • Nether Providence Police Station, 214 Sykes Lane, Wallingford
  • Radnor Township Municipal Building, 201 Iven Ave., Radnor
  • Radnor-Wayne Senior Center, 108 Station Rd., Wayne
  • Sharon Hill Borough Hall, 250 Sharon Ave., Sharon Hill
  • Springfield Township Building, 50 Powell Rd., Springfield
  • Tinicum Township Police Department, 629 North Governor Printz Blvd., Essington
  • Upper Darby High School, 601 Landsdowne Ave., Drexel Hill

According to the DEA, the county collected 277.4 pounds of drugs during its first 'Take Back' event held in September of last year. The second event was held in April of this year in which the county collected over 900 pounds of drugs.

For more information about the event on Oct. 29, residents can call Holcom Behavioral Health Systems at 484-444-0412 or visit them online at www.holcomprevention.org. For more information on the nationwide 'Take Back' initiative, visit www.dea.gov and click on the 'Got Drugs?' icon. Residents can also get more information by visiting the county website at www.co.delaware.pa.us.


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