Countywide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set

On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. three locations in Pend Oreille County will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Residents are encouraged to bring their pills for disposal to any one of the three locations: Newport City Park in Newport, Camas Center for Community Wellness in Usk, and Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office’s substation in Ione. Sites cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, people are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.

The countywide prescription drug take-back effort includes concurrent events between Newport, Usk, and Ione. The Camas Center for Community Wellness is hosting a community barbecue in conjunction with the takeback event, and the public is invited to attend, enjoy a free barbecue lunch, beginning at 11 a.m., and play lawn games. The Newport City Park location is hosting their event adjacent to the annual Child Abuse Awareness Walk, which begins at 9 a.m.

For more information on these events, please contact: Marty Meineke, prevention specialist, Kalispel Tribe of Indians, at 509-789-7631; Carrie McKinley, prevention specialist, Pend Oreille County Counseling Services, at 509-447-6419; Lea Porter, victim advocate, Family Crisis Network. A Facebook event page has also been created: //kalispeltribe.com/DrugTakeBackDay.