A Prescription for a Safer Community

Prescription drugs are certainly on JTNN's radar and have been for the last year. In fact I've already written about this topic twice in the JTNN blog. But there's more to be said.

On Saturday, JTNN along with the Reno PD and a number of other partners are hosting the second Prescription Drug Round Up in which we invite people to bring their unused and unwanted prescription and over the counter drugs. A law enforcement officer and volunteers will collect and catalog the items that people bring in. Then the Reno PD will incinerate the drugs. These are drugs that will no longer be in circulation and that will no longer have the ability to be used in a way that they weren't intended.

As part of a grant that the Reno PD has obtained, prescription lock boxes will be given away at the Round Up sites, as long as supplies last. This will provide the ability for people with potentially dangerous prescriptions to lock those pills and substances away and make them less likely to fall into the wrong hands.

Now, you may ask, "What's all of the hoopla about here? They're just pills and there can't be that many out there." Here are some statistics for you:

· Nevada's rate of prescription drug distribution for the opiate based pain killers Oxcodone and for Methadone is about double the national average.

· Nevada's rate of prescription drug distribution for the opiate based pain killers Hydrocordone (Vicoden) and for Morphine is about triple the national average.

· Nationally, there have never been more overdose deaths from prescription drugs than now and Nevada's rate per capita is about 5th or 6th highest in the nation.

It makes sense to do all that we can to take unused and/or unwanted prescription drugs off the street and get rid of them. Many people are concerned about these drugs going into the water system and I share that concern. But the bigger concern is that people are dying more often and at greater frequency from prescription drug overdoses.

If you'd like to be part of the effort here are the places we'll be holding the Drug Round Up on Saturday April 24th from 9 am to 3 pm:

· The Family Resource Center, 115 West 6th Avenue in Sun Valley

· Sak 'N Save, 1000 Plumb Lane, Reno

· Scolari's Market, 8165 South Virginia Street, Reno

· Scolari's Market, 200 Lemmon Valley Road, Reno

· Scolari's Market, 1300 Disc Drive, Sparks

Please come and bring your unwanted drugs. No questions will be asked and you can just drop off and go! We'll look forward to seeing you.