National Prescription Drug Take Back Day--a nationwide effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs--is slated for April 29 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.at Louisiana State Police Troop A headquarters, 17801 Highland Rd. in Baton Rouge.
The drugs will be properly and safely disposed of by law enforcement. Drug Take Back Day is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Visit dea.gov or call (800) 882-9539 to find a nearby collection site for other areas in Louisiana.
This year, Blue Cross is using Drug Take Back Day as an opportunity to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic in Louisiana. We will provide handouts and magnets at the event and use social media to educate our followers about this pressing public health threat.
In Louisiana, there are more prescriptions for opioid drugs than there are state residents.
In the United States, more than 70,000 emergency room visits each year result from medication accidents by children under age 18.
Adverse drug events cause more than 700,000 emergency room visits each year.
In Louisiana, our drug overdose rate is higher than the national average. More than 600 residents die from opioid overdoses each year.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. More than 80% of emergency room visits among children under the age of 12 are due to unsupervised children taking medications on their own, and 10% of emergency room visits in this age group are due to medication errors.
Blue Cross has supported the DEA’s Drug Take Back Day program for the past six years.
Overall, in its 10 previous take-back events, DEA and its partners have taken in more than 5.5 million pounds—more than 2,750 tons—of pills.
In 2016 Blue Cross funded permanent drug drop boxes at law enforcement locations in 22 parishes across the state. We are working to place more of these in 2017.
In its first year, the permanent drop box program collected more than 700 pounds of expired or unwanted medications.