peel back effect

Health Department promotes 'Drug Take Back Boxes' across the county

Jenni Pastusak
Posted 6/3/15

WESTOVER — Many people don’t think to include the bathroom medicine cabinet to the household cleaning list. That’s why so many unused and expired prescription pill bottles continue to fill …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already a member? Log in to continue.   Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Health Department promotes 'Drug Take Back Boxes' across the county

Posted

Unmask AddictionWESTOVER — Many people don’t think to include the bathroom medicine cabinet to the household cleaning list. That’s why so many unused and expired prescription pill bottles continue to fill space behind the cabinet door only to pose a risk for misuse or abuse in thousands of households across the nation.

Somerset County Health Department has partnered with local law enforcement agencies and pharmacies to provide a safe, simple and secure way to collect unwanted or expired medications by installing Drug Take Back Boxes in several locations around the county. Community members can dispose of prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs and unused pharmaceuticals in the boxes.

Somerset County Drug Take Back Box Locations:

Law Enforcement Agencies

  • Princess Anne Police Department - 11780 Beckford Ave. Princess Anne, MD 21853
  • MSP Princess Anne Barracks - 30581 Perry Rd. Princess Anne, MD 21853
  • Crisfield Police Department - 319 West Main St. Crisfield, MD 21817

Coming Soon to Local Pharmacies

  • Marion Pharmacy - 26427 Burton Ave, Crisfield, MD 21817
  • Crisfield Discount Pharmacy - 347 W Main St Crisfield, MD 21817
  • Karemore Pharmacy - 12085 Somerset Ave, Princess Anne, MD 21853

“We want “cleaning out the medicine cabinet” to become a priority for people in our community just like changing the batteries in the smoke detector or the oil in the car,” said Matey Barker, Somerset County Health Department, behavioral health director. “The Drug Take Back Boxes provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of unused or expired prescription drugs.”

Barkers says the risks involved with not safely disposing unused and expired drugs far outweigh the time it takes to actually clean out the medicine cabinet.

“We see too many cases where a student lets curiosity get the best of him, experiments with different pills left over in the medicine cabinet and before not too long, gets hooked,” added Barker. “Next thing you know, he’s selling them to his friends at school and the vicious cycle starts to spiral out of control. By removing expired or unused medications from the household, you are reducing the risk of this happening in your home with your loved ones.”

Help Prevent Opioid Misuse at Home

Safe Storage of Medication

  • Lock up medication that can be abused in a cabinet, drawer or medicine safe
  • Keep all medication out of reach of children and pets
  • Store medication in its original container
  • Return medication that has expired or is no longer needed to a Drug Take Back Box

Keeping Tabs On Prescriptions

  • Take all medications as prescribed
  • Store prescriptions safely
  • Dispose of medication properly
  • Never share prescriptions drugs

For more information call 443-523-1790 or visit UnmaskAddiction.org

featured
Members and subscribers make this story possible.
You can help support non-partisan, community journalism.

x
X