This weekend, turn your eye to your medicine cabinet and clear out old, unused or expired medications. It’s a simple preventative step that can help curb drug abuse – in a time when the issue is more prevalent than ever.
On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as part of National Drug Take-Back Day, multiple area agencies will be accepting unused medication for destruction.
“We’re just doing what we can to prevent the abuse – and often times overdosing – through misuse of medications,” said Peterborough Police Chief Scott Guinard.
“It’s of great importance as a preventative measure,” said Wilton Police Chief Eric Olesen. “We do this twice a year to curb access to medications to people who don’t have prescriptions for them.”
According to a 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 10 million Americans were misusing controlled prescription drugs, the majority of which were obtained from family and friends.
And prevention is especially important this year, which has been recording spikes in overdose deaths. Jake Berry, the vice president of policy at the health nonprofit New Futures, attributed the spike to a combination of factors, including an increase of risk factors caused by the pandemic, including increased economic instability, anxiety, isolation and reduced access to recovery supports.
Heroin fentanyl, and cocaine addiction treatment intake numbers increased from May into June, with fentanyl and heroin admissions up by 32 percent and cocaine or crack treatment admissions up by 120 percent.
New Futures surveyed 23 substance-use treatment providers across the state and those surveyed reported substantial financial losses, with fewer patients coming in and reduced fundraising efforts.
According to the Department of Health’s Drug Monitoring Initiative, as of June of 2020, overdose deaths in New Hampshire had increased by about 30 percent compared to 2019, based on data from the state’s Medical Examiner’s office.
Trends were not out of line with 2019’s numbers, until April, when the numbers spiked, according to the Drug Monitoring Initiative’s most recent report.
In May, the state reported 45 fatal overdoses, 10 more than in the same month last year.
While it is important to not keep unused or expired medication, residents should not indiscriminately flush their medications down the toilet or sink drain, as it is possible for those medications to enter the water supply. Medications turned in to police stations as part of the Take Back Day will be incinerated.
“It’s just a good opportunity to dispose of medications so that other people can’t abuse them,” Jaffrey Police Chief Todd Muilenberg said.
The fall National Drug Take Back event is running this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following area police stations: Rindge Police Department, Jaffrey Police Department, Peterborough Police Department, Mason Police Department, Dublin Police Department and the Wilton Police Department. Some departments have permanently installed drop-boxes that are available to accept medications year-round, including in Peterborough, Rindge and Wilton. There are also public medicine drop boxes available at local pharmacies.
For more information on drop-off locations, year-round collection sites and at-home disposal of prescription medication, visit takebackday.dea.gov.