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The city of Dunkirk Police Department and WCA Alstar Ambulance in cooperation with the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency are coordinating a North County location for National Prescription Drug Drop Off Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WCA Alstar Services has again provided their north county headquarters for the drive-in drop off location. Alstar is located behind School 3 at Route 60 and Orchard Street in the city of Dunkirk. The prescriptions can be dropped off with no questions asked.
City police say this is a very important program because any unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue leading to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse. In many states deaths from Prescription drugs now exceed those from motor vehicle accidents with opiate painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycontin leading abuse.
Recent reports show that the number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction had increased 400 % within the last 10 years. Reports show that one in 10 12th-grade students used pharmaceutical narcotic pain killers for non-medical use. The reports also show the majority of the teenagers (62%) using prescription drugs got them from family and friends including from medicine cabinets in their own homes.
Unintentional overdose deaths from prescription opioids increased 175% over a five-year period. Recent reports note that there were 6.2 million Americans aged 12 years and older who abused prescription drugs within the past month with 7 of the 10 most commonly abused drugs by teenagers being prescription medicine.
Proper disposal of unused or expired prescription drugs can eliminate temptation for abuse and the temptation for them to be stolen from a residence. The proper disposal also does not affect the environment which can happen if they are flushed into the sewer systems.
Most importantly proper disposal can help lower the deaths rate related to overdose and abuse, especially in our children and young adults.
No liquids or sharps/needles are accepted at the drop off location. Those also cannot be put in the Drop Box at the city Police Station either.
These items cannot be disposed of with other prescription medications and they are a danger to officers who have to handle them and empty the drop box.