Charlotte Police Chief Rodney Monroe with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Emerson with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Special Agent in Charge James Bowman with the State Bureau of Investigation's Diversion & Environmental Crimes Unit, announced Thursday plans for a weekend "drug drop off" at area Harris Teeter stores.
The drop off will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., at seven Harris Teeter locations within Mecklenburg County. The purpose of the event is to provide members of the community a drop off location for any unused or outdated prescription medicine that they wish to discard.
- With the misuse of prescription drugs second only to marijuana as the Nation's most prevalent drug problem, the annual average number of people using pain relievers non-medically for the first time exceeds the number of new marijuana users, according to a recent study released by SAMHSA. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- More than 2.2 million youth in the United States aged 12 to 17 used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in the past year to self-treat physical or mental distress, improve appearance or performance, catch an energy wave, or simply mellow out.
- 70% of teens who abuse prescription drugs admit to easily obtaining the drugs for free, primarily from friends and relatives
- The prescription drugs most abused by teens are "opioid" pain relievers such as Darvon, Dilaudid, OxyContin, Vicodin, and products containing codeine or morphine
- Teen abuse of prescription drugs also includes sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants such as Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall, which are known for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Every day, 2,500 kids age 12 to 17 abuse a prescription painkiller for the first time.
- Drug treatment admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 300 percent from 1995 to 2005.
Listed below are the sponsoring Harris-Teeter Stores:
Southpark - 6701 Morrison Blvd.
Stonecrest - 7852 Rea Road
Steelcroft Shopping Center, 13000 South Tryon Street
Arboretum - 3333 Pineville-Matthews Road
Park Road Shopping Center - 4101 Park Road
Old Towne Mall, 4100 Carmel Road
Cochran Commons - 2720 W. Mallard Creek Church Road
