Don’t be an accidental drug dealer…
61% of people ages 12 and older who misuse prescription pain relievers get them from a friend or family member. Keep your loved ones safe by securing your current medications and disposing of unused medications. Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights residents can receive safe medication storage and disposal materials from their public libraries.
Safe medication disposal options:
- Medication Disposal Pouches
- Disposal pouches are an easy, environmentally friendly way to dispose of unused medications.
- They are available for free at Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights Public Libraries.
- Medication Take Back Days
- Find a Take Back Day near you here.
- If you are attending a Medication Take Back Day, remember to leave medications in original containers. Sharps and needles are not accepted.
- The Chesterfield Police Department, in partnership with SAFE, has collected over 20,000 pounds of medications, from 5,500 citizens, since take-back events began in 2010!
- Safe Disposal Sites
- Chesterfield County residents can dispose of unused medications at the Chesterfield County Police Headquarters, located at 1001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, VA 23238. Sharps are not accepted.
- Consult your local pharmacy to see if they have a safe disposal kiosk
- Consult the FDA Flush List. If your medication is cannot be safely flushed, mix unused medications with cat litter, dirt, or coffee grounds, seal in a plastic bag, and dispose of them in the trash.
What can parents do?
- Educate yourself: Learn what types of prescription drugs can be abused. Ask the doctor or pharmacist when you receive a prescription whether it has the potential for abuse.
- Talk with your teen: Find out what they know about the prescription drug or cough medicine abuse. Teens often think that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs, which is not true.
- Set clear rules: Tell your teen to never take medications that have not been prescribed for them, share their medications with others or take their own medications in greater quantities than prescribed.
- Safeguard all drugs at home: Control access by keeping prescription drugs in a locked container or cabinet, especially pain pills, anti-anxiety meds, anti-depressants, sleeping pills, stimulants such as Adderall and other abusable meds such as over-the-counter cough medicines, and monitor quantities. Ask friends and family to safeguard their medications as well.
- Dispose of old or unused medicines: Use medication disposal bags (available at Chesterfield and Colonial Heights Public Libraries) to deactivate and dispose of unused medication. If you do not have disposal bags available, visit a Medication Take Back Day or your local drug disposal site.
