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Missoula City-County Health Department Health Promotion Division 301 West Alder Missoula MT 59802-4123 MISSOULA COUNTY Press Release June 23, 2009 What’s In Your Medicine Cabinet? There are many ways to approach the problem of drug abuse. The Missoula City-County Health Department, in conjunction with other community partners, is following the lead of other agencies in communities around the country to provide a disposal day for prescription drugs on Saturday, June 27. The hope is that the program will save the lives of people who are abusing and overdosing on prescription drugs, particularly prescription painkillers. These drugs caused 321 deaths in Montana last year. In Missoula County alone, 19 people died; eight were identified as suicide, and the others were not so clear. In preventing suicide deaths, eliminating the access to the means of death is crucial. Decreasing the drugs available in the community can prevent new addictions, thefts, adolescent experimentation, and all manner of accidental overdosing. Most people do not want leftover drugs in their homes but are unsure of how to dispose of them properly. For years, flushing into the water system was an acceptable method, but in recent years there is growing concern about damag to water, fish, and wildlife. The alternative is a community-wide disposal day where the drugs can be dropped into safe receptacles and then incinerated by law enforcement according to EPA guidelines. Outdated drugs are dangerous and should never be taken, nor should drugs be shared with other family members or friends. Keeping unnecessary drugs in the home increases the possibility of theft. You may have seen a public service ad featuring a neighborhood drug “pusher” who states that a new drug source is the family medicine cabinet. (For more information on how to deal with teens and prescription drugs, good information is posted at a Web site called www.notinmyhouse.org.) Drug Disposal Day is Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the City-County Health Department, 301 West Alder St. All drugs will be taken with no questions asked. Law enforcement personnel will be present to ensure safety for those contributing. For those unable to visit the disposal site, the recommendation is to crush the drugs and mix with a disagreeable substance such as coffee grounds or cat litter before bagging and disposing in the trash. For more information, call 258-4892 or 258-3881 at the Health Department. The most important point to remember is to rid all of our homes of unwanted or outdated drugs in one of the recommended ways in order to keep our communities safe. Maureen O'Malley, LCSW Suicide Prevention Coordinator Missoula City-County Health Dept. 301 West Alder Missoula, Mt. 59802 [PHONE REDACTED] [EMAIL REDACTED]