The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is battling the prescription drug abuse epidemic, one pill bottle at a time. Community members dropped off their expired and unwanted medications at the Drug Take Back.
Many people don't know what to do with their old prescriptions, so they sit in a drawer collecting dust, where they may may tempt an addict. 70 percent of people who abuse meds say they get them from a friend or family member.
Not only does the program keep medications out the wrong hands, it keeps them from entering the ecosystem. This also happens to be the national drug collection day, and Putnam County used the nationwide event to keep other items from damaging the environment.
The sheriff's office finds that this one-stop-shop service makes the drug collection more popular, and the last two times people dropped off 200 pounds of drugs, along with their recycling. Prescription drugs should never be flushed or thrown away, and just because a doctor prescribed them does not mean they are safe to give to just anyone.
It is estimated more than 60 percent of teens take drugs not prescribed to them from their own homes. For more information on the national prescription drug abuse epidemic or to find another drug take back event, go to www.dea.gov
