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Drug take-back event planned at Miami PD

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You shouldn’t dispose of unused or expired medications by flushing them down the toilet. Chemicals from prescription medicines can damage your town’s water treatment system - or your own septic system, if you’re off the grid. Instead, bring your expired and unused pills, powders, patches and ointments to a prescription medication take-back event Saturday, July 31 at the Miami Police Station, 740 W. Sullivan St., from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. There’s no need to even leave your car at this convenient drive-through event.

Medications, pills, powders, patches and ointments are accepted - but do not bring needles, inhalers or liquids. Drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to rise at an alarming rate. Just last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 29 percent spike in deaths over the past year - an estimated 93,331, including 69,710 involving opioids. The risk of overdose doubles for young people who have family using opioids.

Most people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family, friends and acquaintances. You can make a difference by keeping track of the medicine you have, rethinking where and how you keep your medications in your home, and safely disposing of any unused medications. Don’t share; keep track of your legally prescribed controlled substances – that is, count your pills so you always know how much you should have and so you know when to take action if any go missing.

With controlled substances, sharing is not caring. You could be putting your loved ones at risk and unintentionally contributing to drug misuse, drug addiction or a fatal drug overdose. Limit access. Everyone knows to keep medicine out of the reach of children, but adolescents and teens can reach all the medicines in your home and they know exactly where you keep what. Many people keep their medicine in easy to reach, easy to access cupboards, medicine cabinets, drawers, etc. So put your medicine somewhere that only you can easily find and access – locked up, if possible.

This will keep your medicine from unintentionally ending up in the wrong hands and could save someone’s life.

Read more about prescription medication abuse at getsmartaboutdrugs.gov; this thorough website has videos and comprehensive pages that describe and illustrate both drugs and medications ranging from amphetamines and barbiturates to heroin, MDMA (AKA ecstasy or molly), fentanyl, inhalants, kratom, khat, methadone, oxycodone - even peyote and mescaline.