DEA, Opioid Take-Back, New Mexico 2017

ALBUQUERQUE – The streets of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are awash in unused pills, fueling a deadly opioid epidemic, and authorities are fighting back. This Saturday, April 29, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host its 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, a desperate attempt to stem the tide of addiction and overdose deaths. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center are urging the public to participate.

The initiative isn’t just a single-day event. A promotional take-back event was held Tuesday, April 25, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Civic Plaza during “Truckin’ Tuesday,” targeting City and County employees and those working downtown. The goal? Get those dangerous, unused medications off the streets before they fall into the wrong hands. This is a war against convenience, a fight to make it harder for kids to raid medicine cabinets and for addicts to find their next fix.

The scale of the problem is staggering. During the last National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in October 2016, Americans surrendered a whopping 731,269 pounds – nearly 366 tons – of prescription drugs. In New Mexico alone, DEA and 50 law enforcement partners collected almost 4,400 pounds at 79 collection sites. Over the past 12 events, DEA and its partners have hauled in over 7.1 million pounds – more than 3,500 tons – of pills. That’s a mountain of potential devastation.

“Many individuals are lured into believing that taking a prescription pill is a safe way to get high,” warned Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of DEA’s El Paso Division. “But many prescription drugs are highly addictive and just as dangerous as any street drug, and just as deadly.” Glaspy’s message is blunt: the death toll from prescription painkillers has tripled in the last decade, and the problem is only worsening. More people now die from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin, cocaine, or any other illicit drug. Simple disposal, he argues, is a life-saving measure.

Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney highlighted the particular vulnerability of teenagers and young adults. “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.” Tierney’s grim statistics paint a clear picture: homes are the primary source of these dangerous substances for young people. “Too many kids are dying young. Protect our kids by properly disposing of your unused, unwanted and expired medicine.”

The UNM Health Sciences Center is also stepping up. Dr. Paul B. Roth, Chancellor, announced a drive-thru take-back site will be hosted at UNMH, 2211 Lomas Blvd NW, on April 29th. The statistics are chilling: 6.4 million Americans abused prescription drugs in 2015, with nearly 4 million abusing painkillers, and a significant portion obtained those drugs from family and friends. For many, painkillers are just a gateway. Four out of five new heroin users started with prescription opioids. In 2014, almost 30,000 people died from overdoses involving painkillers or heroin. Authorities aren’t just cleaning up pills; they’re trying to break the cycle of addiction before it claims another life. Unsecured drugs are also a prime target for theft and illegal resale.

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