Program Spotlight – Operation Medicine Cabinet

Starting in September, Narconon of Georgia is launching a new initiative – Operation Medicine Cabinet – to educate the public about the hazards of prescription drug abuse and to provide a safe method of disposing unused medications. The local sheriff’s office is collaborating on this program.

According to a 2006 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nearly 2,500 adolescents age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time. Prescription drugs are more abused by teens than any illicit street drug, except for marijuana. This survey also found that one in five teens can get prescription drugs within an hour, and the most common source is their own home or friends.

Mary Rieser, the Director of Narconon of Georgia, noted the importance of educating the public. "We used to look to the schools to provide drug education. Now, statistics show that the schools actually need our help.”

Other communities have already launched Operation Medicine Cabinet initiatives. In 2008, the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse, contacted several retail pharmacy chains. They set up a voluntary prescription drug return, manned by sheriff's deputies, at strategic community locations throughout the county. Davenport, Iowa, is holding its fourth annual event September 28-29. Last year's event yielded approximately 1,029 pounds of pharmaceuticals. Additionally, a collaboration among Home Instead Senior Care, the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office, and the West Lafayette Go Greener Commission in Lafayette, Indiana, held their second annual event last April.

In Broward County, consumers that voluntarily brought in any unused pharmaceuticals to a community location received a $5 gift certificate from the participating pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart. The initiative in Georgia will also employ a similar consumer incentive to boost participation.

For more information on Georgia’s Operation Medicine Cabinet, contact Narconon of Georgia at 770-379-0208. For information on Broward County’s initiative, click here. To find out how to launch an Operation Medicine Cabinet event in your community, click here.