Local residents will have the opportunity today (Saturday) to dispose of unused or outdated prescription drugs safely, as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
The collection point here will be at Entrance B to Marshfield Clinic-Eau Claire Center, 2116 Craig Rd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The misuse of prescription drugs continues to rise, according to a press release from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, and is reaching record highs. The department is urging that medicine cabinets be cleared of expired or unused prescription drugs, to eliminate the possibility of their falling into the hands of people who shouldn’t use them.
Take Back Day is hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and is coordinated locally by the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office and Marshfield Clinic.
The local Health Department’s press release noted that In Eau Claire County, 200 high school youth will misuse prescription drugs this month, and one in four high schoolers report that it is easy to get prescription medications. Most youth that are misusing medications get them without permission.
They say either a friend gave it to them, or they got them from their own home, a friend’s home, or a grandparent’s home, according to the press release.
More information about the Drug Take Back Day is available at www.getinvolvedasap.org or www.doseofreality.gov.