If you like donuts and have some leftover or expired prescription medications laying around, then you are in luck. Vandal Health Education will be teaming up with the Moscow Police Department to host “Donuts for Drugs,” an annual prescription drug take back event.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 28. Many campuses across the country, including the University of Idaho, will be hosting their own Take Back Days in combination with the national day.
The purpose of this event is to provide a safe disposal site while also educating the public about the potential for prescription drug misuse. There will be a table set up in the Idaho Commons plaza on April 24 from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. where you can turn in any leftover prescription medications in exchange for a donut. If you do not have any medications to turn in, you can still join the fun by playing prescription drug trivia, learn something new and still get a donut!
As the national opioid crisis, or the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs, continues we can do our part by removing unused prescription medications from our medicine cabinets to prevent misuse.
Lauren Kees
guest voice
Some of the most commonly abused medications are prescribed opioids like hydrocodone and stimulants like Adderall. Opioids, in particular, can result in dangerous overdoses or addiction. Decreasing access to potentially dangerous substances can help reduce these risks.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stated that medications can be taken from medicine cabinets by friends or family, sometimes in small amounts that may go unnoticed. A survey published by the DEA showed that nearly one in five people who were prescribed opioid prescriptions admitted to sharing their pills with another person. Sharing or selling prescription medications, including Adderall and hydrocodone, is prescription drug misuse and can result in a felony. One of the most effective ways to decrease prescription drug misuse is by properly disposing of medications as soon as you are done with them.
You might be wondering why it is important to turn prescription drugs in to designated collection sites. Why not just flush them or throw them away? Prescription drugs are considered hazardous waste and their safe disposal significantly reduces the risk of accidental poisoning, drug abuse and contamination of the environment.
The Food and Drug Administration advises that flushing medications down the toilet can contaminate the water supply, and tossing them in the trash can pose health and safety hazards. Collection sites have been set up all over the country, many at local police departments and pharmacies.
Every year, the number of medications we collect at this event has increased. If you are not able to make the campus take back event on April 24, you can always drop off unused medications any time at the Moscow Police Department or local pharmacy such as Walgreens.
If you or someone you know is struggling with prescription drug abuse, the University of Idaho Counseling and Testing Center is a free and confidential resource for students. Schedule an appointment by calling 208-885-6716 or stop by the 3rd floor of Mary E. Forney Hall.
Learn more about prescription drug abuse at “Donuts for Drugs” on April 24 from 11a.m to 1 p.m. in the Commons plaza. MPD and Vandal Health Education will be on hand to answer questions. You might even be able to get a selfie with a cop and a donut.
Lauren Kees can be reached at [email protected]