Mark Woodward, OBN spokesman, said 69,443 pills and tablets were turned in Thursday evening at drop-off locations all across Oklahoma as part of Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Week in Oklahoma held April 12 to 16. Woodward said properly disposing of expired medication is critical.
“Prescription drug abuse is a growing epidemic in Oklahoma. It’s unnecessary and unsafe to leave outdated drugs in the house. Users can target old, expired medications left in the home. Teenagers also target their parents’ current or expired prescription drugs to abuse, trade or sell in order to obtain alcohol, marijuana or other drugs,” Woodward said.
Woodward said some of the medications turned in during the awareness week dated back to the 60s.
“When people sort through their medicine cabinets they are often amazed by the amount of old, expired drugs they have in the house. Some are just a few years out of date, but similar events we’ve held in the past have brought in pills dating back to the 1930s,” Woodward said.
OBN plans to hold statewide drug take-back programs in the future. Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Week is co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, the Cherokee Nation, and King Pharmaceuticals.
