An abundance of prescription medication goes unused or is expired and is at risk of being abused.
This Saturday, April 27, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) holds the sixth annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Businesses and government agencies throughout the St. Louis area are participating in the initiative. You can find a place to drop off unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs here.
Host Don Marsh spoke with several guests about the initiative and its local impact. The guests include:
- Dr. Ross Heller, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Saint Louis University and SLU-CARE Emergency Medicine at Saint Louis University Hospital
- Chad Sabora, Vice President of Legislative Advocacy and Director of Media at St. Louis Heroin Help. He is a former heroin addict who became addicted after getting hooked on prescription drugs.
- Amy Tiemeier, Pharmacist and Assistant Professor at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Our conversation about National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a follow-up to a St. Louis on the Air conversation earlier this month. Host Don Marsh spoke with author David Sheff about his new book in which he says drug addiction is a mental illness. In a previous work, Sheff detailed his son’s addition to methamphetamine.
According to the DEA, in the five previous Take-Back events, more than 2 million pounds (1,018 tons) of prescription medications were removed from circulation.
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