March 12, 2010

Med turn-in aids streams, kids

By Kathy Ursprung
The Chronicle

     Local residents have the opportunity Saturday to simultaneously clean out their medicine cabinets, improve the planet and do a good turn for local young people — and they don’t even have to get out of their cars to do it.
     A prescription drug turn-in event planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center, 1112 W. Ninth St., The Dalles, can help do all of that. A drive-through location will be set up in the parking lot during the event, as well as inside the senior center.
     Properly disposed of, prescription and over-the-counter medicines stay out of nearby streams and rivers, and away from the hands of people — including minors — who might abuse them, according to Debby Jones, coordinator of YOUTHTHINK, a local drug prevention program.
     “They’re definitely an easy thing for kids to get ahold of,” Jones said. “They’re in everybody’s home. They’re the new drug wave.”
     Oregon ranks among the top states for nonmedical use of pain relievers among 12- to 17-year-olds, according to information from Oregon Partnership.
     Oregon Partnership is a statewide non-profit promoting healthy kids and communities through drug and alcohol awareness, drug prevention programs, and 24 hour crisis lines for treatment referrals and suicide intervention.
     The local prescription turn-in event is part of a statewide effort taking place Saturday coordinated by Oregon Partnership.
     “The whole idea is to prevent drug abuse by keeping these drugs out of the wrong hands and to discard them safely,” said Leanna Lindquist, president of the Oregon Medical Association Alliance. “We’re hoping that this event will shed light on the public safety and environmental aspects of discarding prescription drugs that are no longer needed.”
     The local turn-in event required the effort of a number of local organizations, Jones noted.
     “Law enforcement has to be a player,” Jones said. “We’re real fortunate Chief Jay Waterbury jumped on board real quick. They will be the last ones to touch the drugs and will dispose of them properly.”
     Representatives of the TriCounty Hazardous Waste & Recycling Program, Hospice of the Gorge, Master Recyclers and the pharmacy professions also will be involved.
Although the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs among youth has declined from 2002 through 2008, over this same time, many teens have turned to misusing prescription drugs, according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Young people often perceive prescription drugs to be safer than illicit drugs to get high, leading them to casually share these drugs with friends, including painkillers (OxyContin), depressants (Xanax) and stimulants (Adderal and Ritalin).
     In fact, prescription drugs are misused more by this age group than any illicit drug, except marijuana. The nonmedical use of these medicines — the same drugs used to legitimately relieve pain and treat conditions like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders or ADHD — is growing.
     Locking away medications is a growing household strategy, as parents realize that most teens who abuse prescription drugs acquire them from medicine cabinets at the homes of parents, relatives or friends, the Oregon Partnership reported.
Today, the average American takes more than 12 different prescription drugs each year — more than 3.8 prescriptions purchased annually, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. One recent survey estimated the amount of wasted drugs is as high as 45 percent.
     Common practice in the past has been to dispose of unused prescriptions by flushing them down the toilet. Unfortunately, this practice contributes to contamination of nearby streams and rivers.
     “We encourage people to crush up the pills and mix them in with old coffee grounds or kitty litter — something someone may not dig through,” Jones said. “Never flush them through the water system; it’s one of the worst things you can do.”