Prescription drug abuse: a year-long problem

The use and abuse of leftover prescription drugs is a year-long problem, said Marie Vargas, coordinator of Safe Kids Grant County in an article in today's Columbia Basin Herald.

So much so, that Moses Lake and Ephrata police departments have continued to accept unused prescriptions from the public and dispose of them free of charge. The departments set up drop boxes in Moses Lake and Ephrata last year and still keep them available for the public's convenience. The Grant County Health District is also on board with the program.

In today's paper, Reporter Cheryl Schweizer outlines the rationale behind the continued education and emphasis. Throwing prescriptions in the garbage makes them an easy find for kids and pets. Flushing drugs down the toilet isn't recommended either because local water systems aren't designed to handle prescriptions.

But local efforts have made a difference.

Last year, the Ephrata Police Department gathered more than 225 pounds of medicine. In Moses Lake, about 80 pounds of medicine was collected in three months.

We support the local programs' efforts to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands.

Nationally, 28,754 (91 percent) of all unintentional poisoning deaths were caused by drugs, and prescription painkillers were the most commonly involved, according to figures provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

For children, emergency room visits from medication poisonings happen twice as often as poisonings from other household products.

From 2004 to 2009, 11 Grant County children ages 14 and younger received medical care for two days or more because they got into drugs not intended for them.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held five prescription drug take-back days in two years at different U.S. locations, according to a prepared statement from the agency. A September event resulted in the proper disposal of 488,395 pounds of unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs nationwide.

While local efforts appear to target kids taking prescriptions by accident (or during experimentation), the DEA highlights a different angle: people who feed their painkiller addictions with medications belonging to friends or relatives.

More than 6 million Americans abuse prescription drugs, and of that figure, more than 70 percent of people obtained painkillers from others. Some people even took medication from family members.

It's one of the many reasons we support the prescription takeback programs in Moses Lake and Ephrata.

- Editorial Board