Most of the items in my little column are, as you've doubtless noticed, pretty light fare. This one is not. It's about the prescription drug takeback program that Kennett Township and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency are holding. On Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can drop off pills or patches, no questions asked, at the Kennett Township Building at 801 Burrows Run Road.
All you need to do is read the obituaries to see what a scourge drug abuse has become even here in Chester County. People get hooked on pain medications and then move on to heroin because it's less expensive. At least once a week I see an obit of a youth in his 20s, with his whole life ahead of him, and I can't imagine the pain his family and friends have gone through -- and are still going through. Sometimes I'll visit the youth's Facebook page and see that he has written about his multiple attempts to beat his addiction, sometimes even recording his "clean time." We had breakfast the other day with a Landenberg woman who lost her son to addiction; she's now focusing her energy on publicizing the problem, lobbying lawmakers, and helping other youths to stay sober.
The press release for the April 28 takeback program reports that "Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards."
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