Attorney General Roy Cooper is encouraging all North Carolinians to scour their medicine cabinets and take their unneeded medications to an Operation Medicine Drop location.
More than 250 of these prescription drug take-back events are scheduled across the state this week.
Disposing of old medications this way keeps them out of the hands of young people who might be tempted to abuse them, and it also helps to keep our rivers and groundwater cleaner. Last year, more than 15 million doses of old prescription and over-the-counter drugs were collected at events held across the state in March and October. Among the drugs collected were controlled substances such as Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Fentanyl patches.
Nationwide, fatal drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death due to unintentional injury. Prescription and over-the-counter medications account for more than three-fourths of all unintentional poisonings in our state. Approximately 1,000 people died in North Carolina last year from overdoses of prescription drugs.
For more information, visit the Attorney General’s website. Follow the links to find a list of Operation Medicine Drop locations in your area.
This message brought to you on behalf of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.