Emporium, PA— Prescription
drug abuse is on the rise in Pennsylvania and District Attorney Paul Malizia, with
the assistance of Emporium Borough Police Chief Matt Siple, with the
cooperation of Emporium Borough Council are doing something about it by installing a
secure medicine return box in the Emporium Borough Building that will allow
people to dispose of unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter
medication safely and anonymously. Currently the Pennsylvania State Police offer drug drop-off programs only
two times per year. The new Medreturn box
will be available during all normal daytime hours to anyone who wishes to dispose of outdated or unused
prescription drugs.
"The best way to avoid
the risks of prescription drug abuse, especially for children and teenagers, is to safely
dispose of medications when they are unused or expired," said Malizia. "These
PA MedReturn drop boxes offer the public a safe, accessible, and convenient alternative to keeping
prescription drugs that aren't being used in the
home where they can get in the wrong hands or be disposed of in landfills or
down the drain where they can end up contaminating the water supply.
The PA MedReturn box was
awarded to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office through a grant
program made possible by a partnership between the Pennsylvania District
Attorneys Association, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and
the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency as part of Governor Tom
Corbett's Healthy PA initiative.
"Governor Corbett's Healthy PA initiative
focuses on ensuring safe and appropriate access to prescription medications," said Gary
Tennis, Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. "Our goal
in creating this program is to provide
education opportunities for the public, while reducing drug abuse and
dependency."
Prescription drug abuse is
the nation's fastest-growing drug problem and has been classified an epidemic
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent years, district attorneys
across Pennsylvania have seen an increase in teenage pill parties, driving under the
influence, and a dramatic increase in the use of heroin all related to prescription
drug addiction.
The PA MedReturn collection
box is located on the first floor of the Emporium Borough Building,. The
boxes will accept: prescription and over-the-counter solid medications (tablets and
capsules); liquid medications, inhalers, creams ointments, nasal sprays; and pet
medications. The boxes will NOT accept: intravenous solutions, injectable and needles.
Additional information
about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to get help for yourself or a loved
one is available at www.ddap.pa.gov.
The
District Attorney's office would like to thank the Emporium Borough Council and
Chief Matt Siple for their cooperation.
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