STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

More Guest Columns

• Guest Commentary: Councilor lays out the ‘facts’
• Guest Commentary: Councilor Chuck Kiester 'My turn'
• Guest Commentary: Progress in challenging times

Share and Enjoy [?]

Last year, over 50 Collier County families shared an avoidable tragedy. Each lost someone to a prescription drug overdose; unfortunately it is likely this number will rise in 2008.

At some point in time, most of us have taken a prescription medication. Occasionally we don’t dispose of left-over or old medication properly. Prescription and over the counter medications sitting in our medicine cabinets are a ready source for youth seeking to abuse drugs.

Sometimes we dispose of prescription medication in our trash not realizing that this is a source for other people to improperly obtain pills, as well as a potential vector for inadvertent ingestion by toddlers and our pets. Flushing prescription medication down the toilet has an environmental impact as well.

Studies show that one in five teenagers have abused a prescription painkiller and that the medication was obtained from their parent’s or grandparent’s medicine cabinet. Household members, including teenagers known as “Generation RX” seek and achieve altered mental states through the illegal and dangerous interception of prescription medications. Statistics from 2007 highlight that every 36 hours a juvenile in Collier County went to the hospital as a result of a drug or alcohol overdose. It has been estimate more than seven million surplus medications are sitting in Collier County homes today.

The Marco Island Police Department would like to recommend a simple technique to reduce abuse of prescription medications, create a safer home environment, and to reduce water pollution. Participation in “Operation Medicine Cabinet,” a Collier County wide pharmaceutical give-back program for citizens to bring their unused and/or expired prescriptions and controlled substance for safe disposal, is a great way to achieve all three goals.

“Operation Medicine Cabinet”, was designed by Drug Free Collier, a not-for-profit organization that is committed to providing a drug-free community. Drug Free Collier in partnership with the Marco Island Police Department hosts this event twice annually. This next event will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Saturday, at the CVS Pharmacy, 676 Bald Eagle Dr.

“Operation Medicine Cabinet” personnel will be in front of CVS collecting surplus or unneeded prescription medicine. If you can’t attend this event, please take your unused and/or expired prescriptions for proper disposal to the Marco Island Police Department at 51 Bald Eagle Dr.

Lastly, please remember to review the prescription and over the counter medication in your home. Count and secure your medications. We hope that you will assist the Marco Island Police Department in making our community drug free.

For more information about Drug Free Collier, go to drugfreecollier.org.