Disposing of perscription drugs properly - a guide for 2020

Perscription drugs - Photo by Steve Buissinne/Pixabay

It's a sad fact that one in four teens in the United States, according to data compiled by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. To make things even worse, most of these kids are getting their drugs not from shady dealer but from their own medicine cabinet.

Because of this, one of the best ways to stop perscription drug abuse is to dispose of unused, expired, or unwanted medications properly. Disposing of these drugs keeps them out of the hands of teens or anyone else who shouldn't have access to them.

As an added bonus, disposing of perscription drugs properly also prevents them from getting into the soil or water supply. When this happens, the medications that were designed to heal humans become an environmental hazard for fish and wildlife. After all, these medications were intended for humans and humans only.

All of these reasons make it incredibly important for perscription drugs to be disposed of properly.

For those readers who live in the Detroit area, Henry Ford Health Systems has a total of nine locations throughout Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties where people can drop off unused, expired, or unwanted medications. I used their service myself recently when my doctor changed one of the medications that I take; leaving me with a couple weeks of my old medicine still at home.

A complete list of these nine locations can be found on their website. Besides these Henry Ford Health Systems, one can also find several other locations where people can drop off perscription drugs in Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties by clicking on the appropriate links. Each of these locations will ensure that the drugs are desposed of properly so they don't become a problem for someone.

Last, but not least, for those individuals who are looking to dispose of perscription drugs outside of the Detroit, many pharmacies have drop boxes nationwide where patients can dispose of them safely. One can find their nearest location by visiting this website and searching by address or by ZIP code.

With this many options for safe disposal available, I hope that we will soon see a dramatic drop in the number of teens who absue perscription drugs that they find in their own homes.

This guide to disposing of perscription drugs - updated for 2020 - is your Tip of the Week for the week of December 23, 2019.

These tips are brought to you by the Warrendale Detroit Blog as part of our Tip of the Week series. Please check back next Monday for more advice on your home, money, and life. In the meantime, please feel free to check some of our previous Tips of the Week.

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