Most teenagers have easy access to prescription drugs which is why it is more important than ever to dispose of old medications. 24% of teens report having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime and that is a 33% increase over a five-year period. This statistic is important because most teenagers who start using prescription drugs obtain it right from their parents’ medicine cabinet. In fact, about 49% of parents say anyone can access their medicine cabinet and 42% of teenagers who have misused or abused a prescription drug obtained it from their parent’s medicine cabinet. These rising numbers are alarming and it is up to the adults to help rid our houses of that temptation.
Drug take back boxes are a SAFE and CONFIDENTIAL way to dispose of old medications. There are many locations available for year round drop off, plus many take back events throughout the year! It is better to get rid of it than take a chance of teenagers using it when it isn’t prescribed to them.
These locations in Houston County offer year round drop off:
Dothan Police Department
(Sponsored by (334) Prevention Project)
210 N. Saint Andrews St. Dothan, Alabama 36303
Walgreens
2940 West Main Street
Dothan, AL 36305
Scott Pharmaceutical Services
2019 Alexander Drive, Suite 2
Dothan, AL 36301
Genoa Healthcare
134 Prevatt Road
Dothan, AL 36301
QUICK TIP FOR DROPPING OFF MEDICATIONS:
Worried about confidentiality? An easy fix is to take the labels off of your medication AFTER YOU ARRIVE AT THE DROP BOX. If you take them off before you get there and were to get stopped by the authorities, you could get in big trouble for having medication in your possession that doesn’t have your name on it. Once dropped in the box, medications can only be accessed by designated workers who transport it to be permanently incinerated so that no one else can get their hands on it.
Just remember: Unused or expired medicine should be disposed of to keep you and your teenager safe. Don’t let your children (or their friends) become just another statistic. For more information, please contact us at 334-699-2813
