Insurance Commissioner and Safe Kids N.C. Chair Mike Causey invites the public to drop off their unused medication at our Operation Medicine Drop prescription drug take back event in Raleigh on Friday, March 5 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The goal of Operation Medicine Drop is to make sure unused or expired medication can be properly disposed of and kept out of the wrong hands.
With many families spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, now is a very important time to remove unwanted drugs from the home.
Dangerous prescription pills and medication could not only hurt our loved ones but wind up in our water system if not disposed of properly.
An average of four people per day are dying from an overdose in North Carolina with 79% of those deaths involving some type of opioid. Due, in part to take-back events like these, the number of overdoses has decreased in the last few years.
Operation Medicine Drop (OMD) is a FREE drug take-back program that gives people a safe and secure way to dispose of unwanted over-the counter and prescription medications.
Since the first NC drug take-back event in 2010 the program has:
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Collected more than 232 million pills
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Supported over 3,893 events
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Assisted in the placement of over 452 drop box locations
Here are the details for Friday’s event:
WHO: Insurance Commissioner and Safe Kids N.C. Chair Mike Causey, Safe Kids N.C. Director Shannon Bullock WHAT: Prescription Drug Take-Back event (Operation Medicine Drop) WHERE: Albemarle Building 325 N. Salisbury Street Raleigh, N.C. 27603 WHEN: Friday, March 5, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Media availability at 11:00 a.m. WHY: Prescription drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury death – for the first time, it surpasses motor vehicle deaths. Operation Medicine Drop aims to keep unused drugs out of the wrong hands and out of our water and environment.To assure safety, the OMD event in Raleigh will have drive-through options with social distancing in accordance with COVID-19 precautions.
About Safe Kids North Carolina
Safe Kids North Carolina is dedicated to preventing childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in North Carolina. For more information, contact Director Shannon Bullock at 919.647.0081 or Shannon.Bullock@ncdoi.gov.