National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, set for Saturday, will offer area residents the opportunity to safely dispose of their outdated and unused medications.
"When I was a school resource officer, there were multiple students in possession and selling narcotics," Hot Springs police Cpl. Kirk Zaner told The Sentinel-Record on Tuesday. "They tend to go to the painkillers such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, Xanax, Adderall and other narcotics."
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hot Springs Police Department, 641 Malvern Ave.; Garland County Sheriff's Department, 525 Ouachita Ave.; and Hot Springs Village Police Department, 233 Calella Drive, Hot Springs Village.
After National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the HSPD will continue to offer a public dropbox weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the police station lobby, according to a news release.
Parents, relatives, guardians and trusted adults provide the first line of defense in protecting loved ones from the dangers of prescription drug abuse, making it vital to properly monitor, secure, and dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications, according to a news release from the police department.
Each day, more than 2,200 teenagers abuse prescription medication for the first time. More than half the teens obtain medications from friends and family, the release said.
"Some kids take whatever and don't know what they are taking," Zaner said. "Sometimes they could be taking blood pressure medicine."
According to the 2015-16 Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, 21 percent of high school seniors in Garland County have abused prescription drugs. The numbers show a slight decrease from the previous year, showing that prevention efforts help, the release said.
In conjunction with the take back event, the Hot Springs Public Information Department will air a related city news report featuring Zaner throughout next week at the top of even-numbered hours on City12, Hot Springs' government access channel on Resort Television Cable Channel 12.
The report will be followed by "Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict." The documentary, released by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, aims to educate students and young adults about the realities of prescription drug and heroin abuse.
Local on 04/28/2016