ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office and UNM’s Health and Sciences Center are encouraging the public to participate in DEA’s 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as part of the prevention and education component of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.
To raise public awareness about the nationwide event on April 29, 2017, the HOPE Initiative Partners and DEA are collaborating with the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) in hosting a promotional Drug Take-Back event on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., during “Truckin’ Tuesday” in Civic Plaza. This promotional event will provide City and County employees and others who work in the downtown Albuquerque area with a safe, convenient and responsible way of disposing of unused, unwanted or expired medications.
During the last National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in October 2016, Americans turned in 731,269 pounds – almost 366 tons – of prescription drugs at almost 5,200 sites staffed by DEA and more than 4,000 of its state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Here in New Mexico, DEA and 50 law enforcement partners collected almost 4,400 pounds of medication at 79 collection sites throughout the state. Overall, in its 12 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 7.1 million pounds – more than 3,500 tons – of pills.
“Many individuals are lured into believing that taking a prescription pill is a safe way to get high. But many prescription drugs are highly addictive and just as dangerous as any street drug, and just as deadly,” said Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of DEA’s El Paso Division. “The death toll from prescription painkillers has tripled in the last decade, and the problem is getting worst. More people die each year from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin, cocaine or any other illegal drug. Proper disposal of your unwanted prescription drugs is a simple way to help prevent overdose deaths.”
“Teens and young adults are especially vulnerable because they begin abusing prescription drugs and turn to heroin for a cheaper high,” said Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney. “Every day, 2,500 teens take a prescription drug to get high for the first time, and 65% of teens get their drugs from a medicine cabinet at home or from a friend or relative. Too many kids are dying young. Protect our kids by properly disposing of your unused, unwanted and expired medicine.”
The UNM Health Sciences Center enthusiastically supports National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day and thanks the Drug Enforcement Administration for its leadership in this important initiative. “UNM Hospital and the UNM Police Department will do their part on April 29th by hosting a drive-thru take-back site in the shuttle lanes at UNMH, 2211 Lomas Blvd NW. We encourage community members to take this opportunity to dispose of unused prescription drugs to protect themselves, their families and our community.”
Unused medicines in the home are a problem because the majority of the 6.4 million Americans who abused prescription drugs in 2015, including almost 4 million who abused prescription painkillers, say they obtained those drugs from friends and family, including from a home medicine cabinet, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health released last month. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers. Almost 30,000 people – 78 a day – died from overdosing on these painkillers or heroin in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The HOPE Initiative is a collaborative effort to address the opioid and heroin crisis in New Mexico. It includes partners from law enforcement, healthcare, education, and community organizations working together to prevent opioid and heroin use, support those struggling with addiction, and promote safe and responsible prescription drug disposal. The public is encouraged to participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 29, 2017, and to take advantage of the promotional event on April 25, 2017, at Civic Plaza.
Defendant: HOPE Initiative Partners
Criminal Charges: Prescription Drug Abuse
City and State: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Exact Date: April 29, 2017
Sentence or Outcome: Community outreach and awareness
Dollar Amounts: None
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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