Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I,-Pulaski) encouraged people to take their unused and expired prescription medications to a local collection site on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. “This is a great program that keeps expired and unused medications out of the wrong hands—be it children or adults,” said Barclay. “It helps protect the environment and helps reduce the chance of overdose and accidentally ingesting the wrong medications.” This is a relatively new program. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website, Americans that participated in the third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011, turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal. The following sites within the 124th Assembly District will take back prescription drugs: Fulton Police Department, 141 S. First St., Fulton,
Oswego Police Department, 169 W. 2nd St., Fulton
Walgreen’s Pharmacy, 5206 W. Genesee St., Syracuse, 13219 To find a more comprehensive list of take-back sites, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html and search your city or zip code. Prescription drug abuse has increased. Some studies estimate it has grown to take more lives than car accidents. According to the State Attorney General’s website, the number of prescriptions for all narcotic painkillers also has increased by six million, from 16.6 million in 2007 to nearly 22.5 million in 2010. A statewide computerized prescription tracking system was recently instituted so it’s harder for people to fraudulently write prescriptions if they obtain a prescription pad at a doctor’s office, for example.