Saturday, April 30th, from 10am to 2pm, at a dozen locations around Erie County people can drop off ANY un-used prescription, of any type, in any amount, no questions asked.
If there are un-used prescription pain pills in your medicine cabinet, US Attorney William Hochul has a warning for you.
"These drugs are poison." US Attorney William Hochul said. "They’re the equivalent of loaded handguns and you need to get them out of the house.”
Drug treatment specialist agree, the vast majority of heroin addicts first got hooked on opiate pain meds. Often, they are prescribed after surgery or dental procedures, but Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein says doctors and dentists often prescribe too many of the pills.
"They're receiving two to four weeks of a narcotic prescription pain medication. That’s over-prescribing,” says Burstein.
This is an attempt to put a dent in the epidemic of heroin use. Suspected overdose deaths in Erie County are now happening roughly ten times a week. That's twice the rate of overdose deaths from last year and four times as many as in 2014.
For more information on the event and locations visit: http://www2.erie.gov/environment/index.php?q=feature/unwantedexpired-drug-safe-disposal
