03/28/2024
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By Erin Smith

If you have unused medications in your medicine cabinet, there are ways you can properly dispose of them. The best way is to turn them in during a Prescription Drug Take Back event or you can turn them in at one of the prescription medicine drop boxes in Bladen County. 

A prescription drug take back event was held during the Bladenboro Spring Fling but officials report no medicine was turned in during that event. While there is not a drug take back event planned for this Saturday, there are some options for you if you need to dispose of unused medications.

Prescription Drug Drop boxes are located at the Elizabethtown Police Department located at 805 West Broad Street in Elizabethtown and at the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office located at 299 Smith Circle in Elizabethtown. You simply take your unused medicines and place them in the lock box and they will be properly disposed of for you. 

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported 6.4 million Americans abused prescription drugs. Allen Dellapenna, with the Injury and Violence Prevention Division of the NC Division of Public Health, gave an alarming statistic during the April meeting of the Brunswick County Opioid Task Force. Dellapenna said that by the time seniors in North Carolina’s high schools reach graduation, 20 percent admit to having used prescription opioids recreationally. 

According to the North Carolina Violence and Injury Prevention Division of the NC Division of Public Health during the month of March 2108, there were 457 opioid overdose visits to emergency departments in the state compared to 371 in March 2017. The highest concentration of emergency department visits was in Mecklenberg, Buncombe, Cumberland, Guilford and Wake counties. 

According to the North Carolina Violence and Injury Prevention Division of the NC Division of Public Health during the month of March 2108, there were 302 heroin overdose visits to emergency departments in the state compared to 226 in March 2017. The highest concentration of emergency department visits was in Mecklenberg, Wake, Buncombe, Cumberland, and Catawba counties. The same data set shows Bladen County with less than 9 overdose visits for the same time period.

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