LOS ANGELES, Calif. (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Drugs are toxic, both to the environment and people, especially children, some of whom hold “pharming” parties to pop leftover scrips. Thus, a new pilot to provide mailbox-like safe drop-off sites, announced on 29 Sept, 2009 by Los Angeles County Sheriff Baca and mayors and councilmen and women from half a dozen L.A. County townships, joined by Narconon International.

The problem is serious. The number one rising trend in youthful drug use in the U.S. is in pharmaceutical, prescription and over-the-counter. Kids get some of these drugs from the internet but mostly from home – the medicine cabinet. But what about the environment? Flushing or dumping these toxins is not a good idea. However, says Mayor Judy Mitchell of Rolling Hills Estates, representing the South Bay Council of Government, “to prevent water and landfill pollution, we announce today a new way of disposing of prescriptions that have expired or that you don’t want anymore.”

The simple solution is to provide special “mail-boxes” to “drop off” drugs, which will be destroyed by the Sheriff’s Dept. (incineration, most likely). Even illegal drugs can be dropped off voluntarily. This will be piloted at first, said Sheriff Baca, at the Sheriff’s Office in the town of Lomita. Once the public show they support this, drop-off mailboxes across Los Angeles County will be provided.

Baca invited Teddy Chambers of Narconon International to provide a drug education and awareness back-up. “For this to work,” Chambers said, “children and parents will need to know about it. Narconon drug education lecturers, who present to tens of thousands of youth yearly, will describe this program and distribute flyers to get back to parents. We sincerely hope they will take advantage of this opportunity.”

“Not just young people have the misconception,” Chambers added, “that there are ‘good’ drugs and ‘bad’ drugs. Too many kids think that pharmaceutical drugs can provide a safe high. False, false, false. Scrips and over-the-counter are for specific conditions, specific dosages, specific amount of time. Abuse any of these and you may get nauseated, have seizures, become addicted, or even die.”

“It’s no longer necessary to have this accumulation of drugs in our medicine cabinets,” said Sheriff Baca. “They should be brought here safely, disposed of anonymously, and we will deal with them appropriately.”

For more information on the Safe Drug Drop Off Campaign, contact Teddy Chambers at (323) 962-2404 or visit www.narconon.org .

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TAGS: safe drug dropoff,Local and Regional Govt.

News Source: Narconon International