The event itself will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., at seven Harris Teeter locations within Mecklenburg County. The purpose of the event is to provide members of the community a drop off location for any unused or outdated prescription medicine that they wish to discard.
- With the misuse of prescription drugs second only to marijuana as the Nation's most prevalent drug problem, the annual average number of people using pain relievers non-medically for the first time exceeds the number of new marijuana users, according to a recent study released by SAMHSA. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- More than 2.2 million youth in the United States aged 12 to 17 used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in the past year to self-treat physical or mental distress, improve appearance or performance, catch an energy wave, or simply mellow out.
- 70% of teens who abuse prescription drugs admit to easily obtaining the drugs for free, primarily from friends and relatives
- The prescription drugs most abused by teens are "opioid" pain relievers such as Darvon, Dilaudid, OxyContin, Vicodin, and products containing codeine or morphine
Teen abuse of prescription drugs also includes sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants such as Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall, which are known for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Every day, 2,500 kids age 12 to 17 abuse a prescription painkiller for the first time.
- Drug treatment admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 300 percent from 1995 to 2005.
Listed below are the sponsoring Harris-Teeter Stores:
Southpark - 6701 Morrison Blvd.
Stonecrest - 7852 Rea Road
Steelcroft Shopping Center, 13000 South Tryon Street
Arboretum - 3333 Pineville-Matthews Road
Park Road Shopping Center - 4101 Park Road
Old Towne Mall, 4100 Carmel Road
Cochran Commons - 2720 W. Mallard Creek Church Road