DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative

FBCPC participated in the DEA’s national Prescription Drug Take Back initiative on April 26, 2014, to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing the prescription drugs.   Coalition members partnered with FBISD staff and police to collect 559 pounds of unwanted medication from almost 200 proactive community members.  Nationally,780,158 pounds of pills were brought to over 6,000 collection sites that DEA and its state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners set up on April 26^th.

 On June 9^th, another 25 pounds of medications left over from the school year were collected from the nurse’s clinic of 33 schools.   Two more schools participated in this effort than last year, and an additional three pounds were collected over the previous Clinic Take Back.  This effort was led by the Coalition Chairperson, Mary Kiernan, and supported by coalition members Ron Rutledge and Annette Henderson, and the FBISD and Missouri City police departments.

 FBCPC, FBISD PD and FBISD Safe and Drug Free Schools will partner again on September 27^th for the next DEA Take Back Day.  In the meantime, you can safely and anonymously dispose of your unwanted medication 24 hours a day/365 days a year in a permanent disposal box installed in the Missouri City Police Department (3849 Cartwright Rd. Missouri City, TX 77489).

 You can also help prevent the diversion and abuse of medication by:

• Modeling responsible use: Only using prescription medication from who the prescription was written and as directed,
• Safeguarding medication: Securing prescription and over-the-counter medication in a location inaccessible to children and teens,
• Monitoring: Taking note of how many pills are in each prescription bottle or pill packet and keep track of refills. This goes for your own medicine, as well as for your teens and other members of the household.
• Spreading the word: Tell family and friends about the importance of monitoring and safeguarding their own medications.

For more information on preventing prescription drug abuse, contact the FBCPC at 281-207-2400 or fortbendcpc@gmail.com.