Tuesday, October 20, 2020; Grant County, NM: For the first time ever, the rural communities of Cliff and Mimbres will have a chance to participate in Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host an opportunity for these rural communities to dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medications.
The two drive-through medication disposal sites will be available at the Mimbres Fire Department, 3027 Hwy-35 (right before the Post Office) and the Cliff Fire Department, 621 NM Hwy-211 (across from Cliff School).
This year provides the unique opportunity to outreach into these outlying communities in the county. Mimbres and Cliff do not contain a year-round medication disposal site where residents can safely dispose of prescription drugs.
“Our local law enforcement wants to remind everyone that these drive-through locations will be anonymous, and no questions asked when dropping off medications,” said Lieutenant Michael Burns from GCSO.
The Sheriff’s office asks that all participants wear a mask. All medication products and liquids will be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain in their original container. Please ensure that the cap is tightly sealed to prevent leakage. All sites will not accept intravenous solutions, injectables, and syringes due to potential hazards posed by blood-borne pathogens.
Approximately 14 percent of male Grant County high school students reported using prescription painkillers to get high, double the state’s average in the most recent Youth Risk & Resiliency Survey, a survey of the healthy and not-so-healthy behaviors of youth.
Year after year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that most misused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends. This statistic includes someone else’s medication being stolen from home medicine cabinets for misuse.
Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator Corina Castillo said, “Although the numbers are daunting to see we remain above the state’s average, it is inspiring to know that we as a community can change that by safely disposing our medications during Drug Take Back Days.”
“We can also protect our youth by storing all medications in a locked storage container, remembering to not share any medications, and properly disposing of expired and unused prescriptions during events like Drug Take Back Days or at your closest medication disposal sites.”
In Grant County, the permanent medication disposal site is the green MedReturn kiosk located at 1106 N. Pope St., in Silver City.
For more information on Drug Take Back Day contact Castillo at (575) 597-0025 or email: ccastillo@chi-phi.org.
This news release is made available by the Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Grant County, a program of the Center for Health Innovation, New Mexico’s designated Public Health Institute, and funded by the New Mexico Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP).
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