This Saturday marks the 5th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge National Day of Awareness for Prescription Drug Abuse. Every second Saturday in November, we set aside some time to evaluate our medicine chests and rid them of our unused, unwanted, and expired prescription drugs. On November 8th, we look forward to continuing this important tradition.
The prescription drug abuse issue has certainly evolved since the Partnership's first foray into attacking the issue. The CDC estimates that an astounding 40 people a day lose their lives to prescription drug abuse across the country. But for every one death, they estimate that there are 10 people entering treatment for an addiction, 32 emergency room visits for misuse or abuse, 130 people who are abusing, and over 825 non-medical users of prescription drugs. Clearly, this is an epidemic of unfathomable proportions. What’s worse, in recent years, the high cost of prescription drugs on the street are causing many of our kids to turn to the considerably cheaper and much more dangerous heroin. In fact, abuse of opiates in New Jersey took the lives of two people everyday in 2013.
2014 has certainly seen an uptick in awareness of this devastating issue. However, our 2014 Parent Tracking Survey indicates that while many parents are very aware of the issue and are taking the initiative in talking to their kids, they do not know of the programs and services in their communities that make it so easy for them to take part in ending the opioid abuse issue all together.
That’s where we come in.
The American Medicine Chest Challenge is a nationwide database that contains permanent prescription drug drop boxes located in law enforcement offices across the country. We have over 140 partners with drop boxes in New Jersey alone and they are open to all concerned residents who want to take a stand. This November 8th, we challenge all New Jersey families to identify an American Medicine Chest Challenge Prescription Drug Drop-box by either logging on to our website or downloading our free mobile app, Rx Drop, and take our 5 Step Challenge:
1. Take inventory of your prescription and over-the-counter medicine.
2. Secure your medicine.
3. Dispose of your unused, unwanted, and expired medicine at an American Medicine Chest Challenge Disposal site.
4. Take your medicine(s) exactly as prescribed. Please visit PhRMA for more information.
5. Talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse... they are listening.
See you on Saturday!