By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

With the rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. increasing at alarming rates, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is participating in a campaign to get residents to surrender unwanted drugs with no questions asked.

Today, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents can visit two Publix supermarket locations in Poinciana and St. Cloud where deputies will be on hand to collect unused, expired and unwanted prescription drugs as part of the DEA’s Pill Take-Back campaign in Florida.

The Publix sites are at 841 Cypress Parkway Blvd. in Poinciana and at 1951 S. Narcoossee Road in St. Cloud.

“The initiative is completely anonymous and free to the public. No questions will asked,” Sheriff Bob Hansell said. “This is a safe and environmentally contentious effort to dispose of unwanted prescription medications.”

The program addresses a vital public safety and public health issue, according to a DEA press release. Many Floridians are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Incidents of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdose deaths due to these drugs, a DEA press release stated.

“Prescription drug abuse and theft has become an increasing problem, especially among our nation’s youth,” Hansell said. It’s important we educate our citizens on the dangers of prescription drug misuse.”

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet, the press release stated. In addition, many Floridians do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.

“The abuse of prescription drugs kills seven Floridians every day.  These are often good drugs, being used in a bad way, and they could be coming from your medicine cabinet” Mark R. Trouville, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Miami Field Division, stated in the press release. “The proper destruction of unused, unwanted prescription drugs is the first step in reducing these unnecessary deaths.”

This one-day effort brings national attention to the issue of pharmaceutical controlled substance abuse, Sheriff’s Office officials said. The 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated there were 6.2 million current non-medical users of psychotherapeutic drugs in the United States.

“Prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem and take-back events like this one are an indispensable tool for reducing the threat that the diversion and abuse of these drugs pose to public health,” Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske said in a press release. “The federal/state/ and local collaboration represented in this initiative is key in our national efforts to reduce pharmaceutical drug diversion and abuse.”

All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers will be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original containers with the cap tightly sealed to prevent leakage. Intravenous solutions and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazards.

“The purpose of the program is to provide a safe, simple and anonymous way for citizens to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs,” Hansell said.