By Jim Newell

Review Editor

The North Oakland Community Coalition is partnering with local law enforcement for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, an effort everyone involved hopes will keep prescription drugs out of the hands of those who don’t need them.

From 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, the NOCC and a team of high school volunteers from Students Against Substance Abuse will be at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Orion Twp. Substation and the Lake Orion Police Department collecting expired or unused prescription medication.

“This is a national event. The first one took place on Sept. 25, 2010 in an effort to really get a handle on, at that time, the growing opioid crisis happening in our country,” said Tonya Hamilton, executive director of the North Oakland Community Coalition. “It’s just an effort to educate communities about the importance of cleaning out home medicine cabinets and proper use and disposal of prescription of drugs.”

Established in 2007, NOCC provides critical education and programs related to underage drinking, youth substance use and mental health to encourage a responsible community where healthy decision making is valued and where individuals and families thrive.

“We know from experience that prescription drugs are finding their way onto the streets, schools and into the hands of people with substance abuse problems. Every pill taken in at these Prescription Take Back events is one less pill that could cause harm to someone,” said Lt. Dan Toth, commander of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Orion Twp. Substation.

People can turn in medication in pill, tablet or capsule form, but not inhalers, patches, liquids or syringes. Hamilton hopes to be able to collect those items at future drug take back days.

“Studies show us that a lot of our teens, a lot of our youth, get access to opioids and other prescription medication from medicine cabinets of their homes, their friends’ homes, their grandparents’ homes. We never know who might be visiting us and using the restrooms,” Hamilton said.

She added that she’s heard of people touring homes with realtors and taking medication out of cabinets in those homes.

To properly dispose of pills, people should remove them from their original packaging and place them in a Ziplock bag, Hamilton says. “So, the only thing you’re putting in that disposal box is the Ziplock bag with pills. Take the prescription medication bottle home, remove the label, and throw it away.”

Properly disposing of prescription medications also keeps those chemicals out of the water supply, so don’t just throw away medicine or flush them down the drain or toilet, Hamilton says.

There is also a Prescription Drug Take Back Day the last Saturday in April.

The OCSO Orion Twp. Substation and the LOPD have disposal boxes in their lobbies all year so that anyone can drop off expired or unused prescription medications anytime the offices are open.

For more information, visit noccmi.org, or email nocc@noccmi.org.