Normally, we think of zombies in a negative way. But a group of clever youth activists in Dover, New Hampshire, discovered a creative way to use our national obsession with zombies to promote tomorrow’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The activists, ranging from grades 6-12, dressed as zombies while they held a press conference to stress the importance of safe drug disposal in advance of their local Drug Take-Back Day event. This will be just one of many events going on throughout the country. (Although most probably won’t have zombies.)
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency leads the initiative, which encourages consumers to safely dispose of their unused prescription drugs. The DEA also uses the day to promote awareness about the harmful effects of misusing medications.
Unused medications can be harmful to others, especially children. Every eight minutes, a child in the U.S. goes to the hospital for medication poisoning, and in one-third of those cases, the medicine belonged to a grandparent.
The DEA has partnered with law enforcement agencies across the nation to provide people with a safe place to dispose of unused medications. You can find your nearest collection site here.
To learn more about the importance of safe medication disposal, the Alliance has a “pocket film” that tells you what you need to know.
You can also visit our medication safety page to learn more about safe use, storage, and disposal.
