DEA Pill Take Back yields Fruitful Results in SC

South Carolina residents participating in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s sixth National Prescription Drug Take-Back event on April 27 turned in 4,701 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at sites set up throughout the state. This exceeded the last take back total in September of 2012, which was 3,539 pounds.  The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications. According to the 2011 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, twice as many Americans regularly abused prescription drugs than the number of those who regularly used cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants combined.   That same study revealed more than 70% of people abusing prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet.