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Kadena Pharmacy hosts drug take back day

Members of the Drug Take-Back Day event sort the collected medications at the 18th Medical Group, Sept. 23, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. National Prescription Drug Take-Back day is designed to reduce intentional and unintentional misuse of prescription drugs. The event is held at least twice per year so patients can easily drop off their medication for proper disposal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Naoto Anazawa)

Kadena Pharmacy hosts drug take back day

Airman 1st Class Nicholas Murphy, 18th Security Forces Squadron response force member, pours expired medicines into a collection box during the Drug Take-Back Day event at the 18th Medical Group, Sept. 23, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. During the event, Kadena received approximately 156 pounds in unused or expired prescribed medications to turn in at designated locations for proper disposal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Naoto Anazawa)

Kadena Pharmacy hosts drug take back day

A customer hands prescription medication to Staff Sgt. Nicholas Petrelis, 18th Medical Support Squadron pharmacy technician, during the Drug Take-Back Day event at the 18th Medical Group Sept. 23, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The Drug Take-Back Day helps prevent medication misuse, abuse, and theft. The unused, expired or unwanted medications were dropped off at the 18th Medical Group. (U.S. Air Force photo by Naoto Anazawa)

Kadena Pharmacy hosts drug take back day

A customer drops off prescription medication at the 18th Medical Group during the Drug Take-Back Day event, Sept. 23, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The Take-Back Days serves as an opportunity for all active duty service members and their families, civilian employees and retirees to take a proactive role in the effort to prevent the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Naoto Anazawa)

Got Drugs?

Published Sept. 26, 2016
By Senior Airman Stephen G. Eigel
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --
In the U.S. approximately 52 million people over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs non-medically in their lifetime, with painkillers being the most abused, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The Kadena pharmacy, along with the 18th Security Forces Squadron, hosted a Drug Take Back Day Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the pharmacy lobby.

The Kadena Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.
“At Kadena our goal is to host (drug take back days) at least twice a year,” said Maj. Richard Caballero, 18th MDG pharmacy flight commander. “At stateside pharmacies, the Air Force is actually installing containers to allow for members to drop off anytime, but OCONUS regulations do not allow for us to do that yet.”

These drug take back days give Department of Defense members and their families the opportunity to turn in unwanted and unused prescription drugs for proper disposal. Turning them in helps the prevention of potentially hazardous means such as flushing them down the toilet or simply throwing them away in the trash.

“Putting the (drugs) in the toilet is definitely a bad idea because it can make its way into the water supply,” said Caballero. “If you cannot make a take back day, the EPA does advise that you can place them in the trash mixed with some kitty litter or coffee grounds to break them down and prevent diversion.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of prescription drug abusers report in surveys that they get their drugs from friends and family. Cleaning out old prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers, and bedside tables reduces accidents, thefts, and the misuse and abuse of these medicines, including the opioid painkillers that accounted for 20,808 drug overdoses—78 a day—in 2014.

More than 150 pounds of unwanted, expired or unused prescription medications were turned it at this year’s drug take back day at Kadena.

“These results show that more Americans than ever are taking the important step of cleaning out their medicine cabinets and making homes safe from potential prescription drug abuse or theft,” DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said in a previous article. “Unwanted, expired or unused prescription medications are often an unintended catalyst for addiction.”

For more information on Drug Take Back Days, contact the Pharmacy at DSN: 630-4817. For more information about prescription drug abuse, visit www.drugabuse.gov.