Last week, three ballot initiatives were defeated that would have commercialized recreational marijuana in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Alternatively, voters in Missouri and Maryland voted to commercialize recreational marijuana. 21 U.S. states and District of Columbia now allow for the recreational use of marijuana.Learn more
On October 29, people from across the country helped reduce the risk of prescription medication misuse by bringing unwanted and expired medications to National Take Back Day events. The DEA recently announced that more than 647,000 pounds of medications were collected at 4,902 collection sites. This total includes the 1,294 pounds of medication collected in…
Many older adults take medications that could interact with alcohol. Some interactions could be dangerous or even deadly. Learn more in a recent blog post from NIAAA Director, George F. Koob, Ph.D. The older adult population is increasing rapidly. Alcohol use among older adults is also increasing. As we focus on the quality of life…
CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart have agreed to an approximate $13.8 billion payout to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming that the pharmacy chains mishandled opioid pain medications. The lawsuits have accused these organizations of putting profit over safety and fueling the opioid crisis. CVS and Walgreens made statements declaring their commitment to be a part of…
On October 29, during HC DrugFree’s medication & sharps disposal event, 100 free medication lockboxes were distributed to participating community members! These lockboxes were provided as our continued promotion of safe, secure storage of medication to keep our community safer!
As a part of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day HC DrugFree’s drive-thru site collected 1,294 lbs. of medication (45 white bins) and 23 red bins of sharps in only 4 hours! Sharps are not included in the weight.
Thank you to County Executive Calvin Ball for awarding HC DrugFree with this Certificate of Recognition for National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month. The certificate was presented to HC DrugFree Executive Director Joan Webb Scornaienchi by Kim Pruim who represented the County Executive at HC DrugFree’s semi-annual medication & sharps collection event.
Another Guiding Good Choices parenting class series ended last week, and the parents who participated walked away with some great ideas and suggestions from other parents on how to handle different situations. Great discussions were had on the pros and cons of paying children for chores and how to get buy-in and agreement from reluctant…
The Legal Action Center has created a new guide Be Empow(ER)ed!: Know Your Rights to Addiction Care for Drug & Alcohol-Related ER Visits to inform people who use drugs about their right to receive certain evidence-based services for substance use-related conditions in hospital emergency departments.
Drive-Thru Medication & Sharps Disposal Event Our semi-annual drive-thru medication & sharps disposal event, aka Drug Take Back Day, is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to see you! Join us on Saturday October 29 from 10 a.m. – 2p.m. in the Wilde Lake Village Center Parking Lot (near the Columbia Swim Center.)…
