A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame

On Saturday, September 25th for four hours, the DEA along with local law enforcement are asking people to empty their medicines cabinets of unwanted medicines that they can bring to one of 4,000 locations across the country.  Why?  A personal story gets to the heart of this -- 

Bernard Strain's teenage son Timmy died last year after accidentally taking prescription methadone pills that he thought were Percocet. Timmy had been prescribed Percocet after he burned his hand on a lawnmower.  When his pain continued, he took medicine from his girlfriend's mother that he thought was extra strength Percocet -- but they were methadone.  He died that night.   

“This is about saving even just one life,” said Mr. Strain, “If we can dispose of cans and bottles and oil from our car properly, why can’t we dispose of something the size of a dime that can kill you?”

Mr. Strain is assisting at the one-day take-back in Philadelphia.  Meanwhile, a growing number of state legislatures are considering bills that would require drug companies to pay for the safe collection and disposal of unwanted medicines.  Full article...