Recently the Partnership for Drug Free North Carolina reported that 8 of 10 poisoning deaths are related to the abuse or misuse of medications in North Carolina, a rate that is higher than the national average. The organization also reported that 2 North Carolina counties, Surry and Stokes, have even more alarming statistics. The Partnership’s latest press release reports:
Surry County ranks 4th in risk for substance abuse-related deaths and nearly 90 percent of prescription medication-related deaths in Surry are accidental. The number of overdose-related deaths in Surry is nearly double the state average.
Stokes County ranks 34th in risk for substance abuse-related deaths and 85 percent of prescription medication-related deaths in Stokes are accidental.
How Can We Lower These Numbers?
Numbers like these are cause for alarm as more and more deaths and accidental injuries are being cuased by overdosing from prescription and over-the-counter medications. Unfortunately, these numbers are on the rise. Many of the deaths are teens who found the medications in the home, prompting county-wide campaigns in Surry and Stokes counties to encourage residents to bring unused and expired prescriptions to nearby Take Back facilities for proper disposal. The goal has been to promote safety in the home and prevent teens from using medications as drugs by removing the temptation from the home.
Do you have prescription drugs in your home that you are no longer using? Deaths and injuries caused by the abuse and misuse of prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs in the home can be prevented. As parents and guardians, we can do our part to keep our homes safe from the dangers of drug and substance abuse and misuse. If you have any unused mediations in your home, we encourage you to take them to a nearby authorized prescription disposal site. Click here to access a list of drop off facility in your area.