According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) prescription drugs — legal ones stored at home — can be a gateway drug, and many individuals who abuse prescription drugs got them from family or a friend.
Sgt. Anna Gray with the Evansville Police Department said these drugs don’t always end up in the hands of those already addicted to the medications.
“They get in the hands of teenagers a lot of times, because people who have them stocked up in their cabinets, maybe they go and visit their grandparent's house or family member's house, and they're not using them anymore, and they just kind of stay in the cabinets. And, you know, that is how they get in their hands.”
Local law enforcement is amplifying the DEA's message, because they also want these drugs “off the street.”
Gray said they’ve seen an uptick in opioid abuse, which often begin as prescription medication for pain such as OxyContin or even fentanyl.
This is a national event and is for any old meds you want to get rid of.
The sheriff’s office has a drug drop-off bin at their headquarters at all times.
Sheriff Noah Robinson said unused prescription drugs can become the target of burglars ,or just addicted family members or friends.
“We've heard tragic stories of individuals who have family members who are addicted, and will raid medicine cabinets of loved ones to go after chasing that high. And so if you're not using a medication and don't need it, get out of your house and get it safely returned to the DEA or the sheriff's office for proper disposal.”
Drugs can be taken at the Sheriff's office at 3500 North Harlan Ave., no appointment needed anytime during normal business hours.
According to the DEA, pharmaceutical drugs can be as dangerous as street drugs without a prescription or doctor’s supervision.
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