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Health & Fitness

Thank You Melrose Residents for Participating in National Medication Take Back Day!

Thank you to Melrose residents for participating in last month's National Medication Take Back Day! We successfully removed 236 pounds of prescription and OTC medications from Melrose homes!

The Melrose Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, the Melrose Police Department, and Walgreens Pharmacy would like to thank all the Melrose residents who participated in last month’s National Medication Take Back Day. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced that fifty percent more pills were collected across the U.S. this year compared to last year’s collection numbers.  Over 6,000 sites around the country collected 742,497 pounds of prescription medications on April 27th!  Since the DEA started sponsoring national take-back days, more than 2.8 million pounds of prescription medications have been removed from circulation.  Because of the efforts in Melrose, we were
able to collect 236 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter medications!
That is 236 pounds of potentially dangerous drugs removed from medicine
cabinets where teens are most likely to obtain prescription medications.  This is important since more than 70 percent of people abusing prescription pain relievers report they obtained them through friends or relatives, often taking them from the family medicine cabinet.

According to a recently released study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and the MetLife Foundation, one-fourth of all teens have misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime. This is a 33% increase over the last five
years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) found that parents and
caregivers need more education around teen medicine abuse.  Almost one-third of parents say they believe prescription stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can improve a teen’s academic performance, even in a young person that does not have ADHD. Similarly, one-third of teens said that they also believe “it’s okay to use prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them to deal with an injury, illness, or physical pain.” One in eight teens says they have taken Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them.  The study found that 27% incorrectly believe that misusing and abusing prescription drugs is safer than using street drugs. It is important for parents and teens to educate themselves in order to clear up these myths. Abused and misused prescribed medicines can be just as dangerous and harmful as many illicit drugs.  

The Melrose Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition would also like to say a very big “Thank You” to Walgreens Pharmacy for participating in National Medication Take Back Day and serving as a collection site! Walgreens demonstrated how important it is for pharmacies to take a proactive role in preventing prescription drug abuse and we commend them for their efforts.  As a reminder, Melrose residents do not have to wait for these national take back days to dispose of unwanted medications.  There is a medication drop box available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week located in the Melrose Police Station lobby at 56 West Foster Street.

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