Generation Rx at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Children's Coalition of Northeast Louisiana for National Drug Takeback Day on October 27, 2018. Collection sites are available at the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day website.
Generation Rx is part of ULM chapter of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists. "Our main focus is to reach out to the community and promote proper ways of disposing of medications, and also to prevent the misuse and abuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs," says Olivia Dumestre, co-chair of Generation Rx. According to Dumestre, all prescription drugs have an expiration date and should not be used after that date.
One way to help keep medications out of the wrong hands is to regularly clean out medicine cabinets. Agent Paul Seale agrees: "It's as simple as that. At the DEA, we believe that's a big cause of a lot of the issue, as far as our young people, teenagers, and people becoming addicted to drugs. One of the main ways to get those drugs is in their house, in their medicine cabinet."
National Prescription Drug Takeback Day began in 2010 to address public health concerns. According to Seale, it has grown every year since. This year, around 3,700 law enforcement agencies have partnered with the DEA to man over 4,000 collection sites nationwide. "We provide an easy, anonymous, and free way to get rid of a lot of those prescription drugs in local law enforcement or other organizations," says Seale.
Collection sites are located at participating Brookshire's and Super 1 Foods in Monroe, West Monroe, Farmerville, and Bastrop. Other collection sites are available at the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day website.