New Way to Dispose of Drugs Introduced

The Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition has a new tool in the prevention of prescription drug use.

The group was introduced to Dispose RX, a new drug-neutralizing powder, at their monthly meeting at their Kingston office last week.

Ann Hamlin from Dispose RX in North Carolina demonstrated the powder that, when added to the bottle with water, is an “effective and convenient and inexpensive method of drug disposal that does not enable removal for illicit use.”

This powder can be used in lieu of the FDA recommendations that the disposed medications should be mixed with coffee grounds or cat litter.

Addicts can easily pick out pills from either of these substances.

A person looking to dispose of any type of prescription medicine, can use Dispose RX by placing a small amount of water in the pill bottle with the medications they want to dispose, add the powder, and shake the closed bottle.

This creates a chemical reaction that melts the pills and combines with the power and water to form a biodegradable gelatinous material in which the medications cannot be extracted. Then the material can be safely placed in the trash, making it easier for people to remove them from their homes.

This substance fits in with the Coalition’s mission to educate people to count their medicines; keep them locked up; and dispose of them properly.

Many people either flush medicine down the toilet, which contaminates the water supply. Or they simply do nothing and leave them in the medicine cabinet, giving easy access to a friend or family member who may have a substance abuse problem.

Coalition Executive Director Sarah Harrison said reports show that 92 percent of people have left-over medications that were prescribed by a health care professional and are no longer used by their owners.

Dispose RX will be available starting March 1 at a number of locations. The Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition is the first organization in Tennessee to offer this product.

http://www.roanecounty.com/content/new-way-dispose-drugs-introduced