The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff, Wire Reports
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 06:34 PM
Tennessee Collected 43 Tons Of Unused Medications Between 2016 and 2017 According To Report
KNOXVILLE - As overdoses rise in East
Tennessee, more and more people are looking to safely get rid of their
unused medication.
"I'm impressed that the public makes such effort to participate in these
programs," Knoxville Pharmacist Hannah Blackwell said.
The number of unused prescription pills has been adding up for the last
year, and that number is heavy.
"I think that they're really doing their part to try and get these drugs
out of their cabinets," Blackwell said. "I'm shocked at the number of
medications that are going unused in people's cabinets."
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation reports people
dropped off 52,164 pounds of drugs at drop-off sites between September
2016 and August 2017. In just two days this fall, the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration has collected more than 35,489 pounds of
prescription drugs in Tennessee. That adds up to nearly 43 tons of
medication.
Blackwell says turning in your extra drugs is one of the best ways to
fight abuse.
"There are certainly concerns for having some prescription medicine
that's unused in your home," Blackwell said. "It puts you at risk for
theft, it puts you at risk for getting (it) in the wrong hands--like
children."
That's why she's encouraging people to be aware of exactly how much
medicine you need.
"We have seen an increase in people who do not want to pick up the
entire medicine," Blackwell said. "The entire prescription at once in an
effort for them not to have to worry about sending them back."
Taking some of the weight off of what's been a heavy problem.
"We're happy to get all these medications off the streets," Blackwell
said.
Blackwell says she had the chance to take a look at some of the drugs
people dropped off at one of these events.
She says some of the medicine was illegal, and other medicine was more
than 50 years old