For The Vista
The upcoming April 24 Drug Take-Back event will target the collection of four commonly abused classes of prescription drugs, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Chief Investigator, Casey Cox.
It is co-sponsored by the Cumberland Medical Center Wellness Complexes at Crossville and Fairfield Glade.
“The most commonly abused classes of prescription drugs include opioids for pain, central nervous system depressants for anxiety and sleep disorders, and stimulants for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and narcolepsy,” said Chief Inspector Cox.
Opioids include Registered Drugs Vicodin, OxyContin, Opana, Darvon, Dilaudid, Demerol and Lomotil.
Central nervous system Registered Drug depressants include Nembutal, Valium and Xanax.
Stimulant Registered Drugs include Dexedrine, Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall.
This information, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, is currently being tracked for The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction study.
“We want to collect all unused drugs, including out-of-date prescriptions, unneeded over-the-counter medications, vitamins and other pharmaceutical products for safe disposal,” Chief Investigator Cox added.
A drive-up, drop-off process will be used again at the two Wellness Complexes. .
Hours are from 8 to 11 A.M., Wednesday, April 24, in front of the Wellness Complex at Fairfield Glade, 130 Stonehenge Drive. Signage will help navigate the way around the current construction site. A substantial addition is underway.
Hours are from 2 to 5 P.M., also April 24, in front of the Wellness Complex at Crossville, located at 130 Woodmere Mall.
Dee Dee Barnwell, program manager at the Crossville Complex, and Wendy Reed, exercise manager, at the Fairfield Glade Complex, are teaming up with the Sheriff Department to help with the collection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Today prescription drug abuse is out of control and has become the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem, classifying it as an epidemic.”
The federal agency states, “Sixty-five percent of all drug users are younger than 30 and more than half of them are younger than 21 years of age.”