Drug Drop-Off Initiative Protects Consumers

Southern Maryland, like the rest of the country, has been dealing with an epidemic of prescription drug abuse in recent years.

Abuse has led to addiction, overdoses, and deaths, largely because of prescription pain relievers. Often the abuse begins because of misconceptions about the safety of prescription drugs and their increasing availability. More than half of the people who get drugs for non-medical use received them from a friend or relative, and another bought them or took them from a friend or relative.

The best way to keep prescription drugs from ending up in the wrong hands is to dispose of them properly.

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office has created a drug drop-off program, available at all times. Residents can drop off their prescriptions in the lobby of the sheriff’s office 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Drop-off is completely anonymous; be sure to remove the labels from bottles and then place them in one of two boxes.

The program began in 2011 and since then, a total of 601,015 pills, 525 pain patches and 58 bottles of controlled liquids have been properly disposed, keeping the drugs off of the streets. St. Mary’s County is the only community in the state that counts individual pills/units which provides a means of tracking on overprescription for particular medications.

“We have the blueprint and we know the drug take back program works. Although there is a national drug take back day on Sept. 26, here in St Mary’s County we take back every day,” said Captain Daniel D. Alioto, Commander St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Vice Narcotics. “It comes down to commitment from the Sheriff’s Office and the community. This program has had an impact.”

Opportunities for safe disposal include:

• Two drop boxes in the front office of the St Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office in Leonardtown.
• St Mary’s County Deptartment of Aging and Human Services Health Fair, Oct. 30, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center in California.

For St Mary’s residents facing mobility challenges, the St Mary’s Sheriff’s Office offers a pick-up service to retrieve unwanted prescription medications.

In addition to proper disposal, proper management of medications can also help prevent drug misuse and abuse.

• Keep medications out of sight and reach of others in the household.
• Never share prescriptions or take someone else’s medications.
• Take medication as directed.

A survey released by the National Community Pharmacists Association found that 75 percent of adults do not always take their prescription medicine as directed. Many forget to take a medication, take less than the prescribed dosage, or stop taking it before the supply runs out. In more than half the cases, the patients made these decisions without talking to a health care professional.

Working in collaboration in support of the prescription drug drop off program and other overdose response initiatives, the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging and Human Services, St. Mary’s County Health Department, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Medstar St. Mary’s Hospital, and Walden Sierra, Inc. with additional input from local pharmacies and medical practitioners, formed the Behavioral Health Action Team, a subcommittee of the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership. The team identifies specific issues related to substance abuse and mental health, formulates solutions, and seeks funding to assist with services.