Abstract
With 6.5 million Americans misusing a prescription drug in 2014 and 12% of American teenagers indicating lifetime use of over-the-counter cold medicine or cough syrup for getting high, misuse and abuse of prescription and over-thecounter drugs remains a major problem in the United States. Prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse often results from unused or unwanted medications remaining in the household cabinet. A potential solution to this problem lies in drug take-back programs which allow individuals to bring unused medications back to designated facilities for safe and proper disposal. In this commentary, we discuss the current state of drug take-back programs and their relevance to prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse. We conclude with suggestions on future directions in drug disposal that can help fight against prescription and overthe- counter drug abuse.
Highlights
With 6.5 million Americans misusing a prescription drug in 2014 and 12% of American teenagers indicating lifetime use of over-the-counter cold medicine or cough syrup for getting high, misuse and abuse of prescription and over-thecounter drugs remains a major problem in the United States
Directions In February 2016, Walgreens announced the creation of a safe medication disposal program with disposal kiosks to be available in more than 500 drug stores across the United States [62]
Despite the recent increase in and reported efficacy of drug take-back programs, recent studies suggest that the mere presence of such programs is not sufficient
Summary
In February 2016, Walgreens announced the creation of a safe medication disposal program with disposal kiosks to be available in more than 500 drug stores across the United States [62]. Initiatives in drug disposal programs should focus on expanding existing programs as well as establishing additional take-back and mail-back programs or collection receptacles across the United States to ensure ease of access to proper disposal methods These efforts should occur in tandem with attempts to eliminate the environmental stressors leading individuals to abuse prescription and OTC drugs such as increased access to psychosocial treatment for drug addiction, group fitness courses, and meditation programs.
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