Speak Up! Encourages All Residents to Dispose of Unwanted Medication

The Speak Up! Prevention Coalition has launched a safe and secure collection and disposal program for unused medications. The initiative represents a collaborative effort among Speak Up! partners, including The Village of Lake Bluff, City of Lake Forest, and the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest Police Departments, as well as the Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation of Highland Park. The program has two goals:

1. to keep medication out of the hands of individuals who might otherwise become victims of prescription or other drug abuse and
2. to provide residents with an environmentally sound disposal method for unused prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medication.

“We are grateful to the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff Police Departments for their immediate and enthusiastic support and to Save A Star for donating the actual collection boxes,” said Betty Frank-Bailey, Director of the Speak Up! Prevention Coalition. “Rates of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse are increasing at alarming rates across the country and are resulting in sharply higher levels of accidental poisonings and overdoses.   National studies show that 70% of youth who report abusing these drugs get the medication from friends and family, often from a home medicine cabinet.  If every household in our community takes two simple steps, we will significantly increase the safety of our youth:

• First, reduce access to these drugs by safely disposing of unwanted medication and securing the prescription and OTC medication you keep in your home
• Second, educate your children / grandchildren about the dangers of misusing these drugs

Many youth have the misperception that prescription and OTC drugs are safer to abuse than street drugs because they are prescribed by a doctor and/or manufactured by reputable firms.The misuse of these drugs is very dangerous, particularly because their use is often combined with alcohol or other substances.”

Drug collection boxes are located in the lobbies of the Lake Bluff Police Department, 45 E. Center Street and the Lake Forest Public Safety Building at 255 W. Deerpath Road. The collection boxes are available to residents for disposal of their unwanted medication any time, day or night, seven days a week.

The following items are acceptable for collection:

• Prescription medications
• Over-the-counter medications
• Pet medications

The following items are NOT acceptable for collection:

• Needles/sharps
• Syringes with needles
• Thermometers          
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Personal care products
• IV bags, bloody or infectious waste

“We now have the infrastructure in place for collection and disposal,” said Glenn Burmeister, Deputy Chief of Police in Lake Forest. “The police department believes this is an important service to provide to our residents. During these times of economic difficulty when programs are being cut, it is rewarding to be able to start a new program of such value. The cost of this program is very low. There are only transportation costs for disposal. The disposal procedures will be shared with other nearby communities with this program. I anticipate similar drug collection programs to grow rapidly in Lake County, and additional collaboration will help further reduce the already low costs. Thanks to SpeakUp and Save A Star for making this a reality.”

For additional information about youth prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse, visit TheAntidrug.com.

Speak Up! Prevention Coalition is a community wide coalition dedicated to significantly reduce the level of underage drinking and other drug use among youth in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood. For more information, visit SpeakUpLFLB.com or email frankbaileylead@aol.com.

Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation was founded by David and Gail Katz and their daughter Melissa following the death of David and Gail’s son, Daniel from a prescription drug overdose. Save a Star Drug Awareness Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 public charity, whose mission is to fight the current epidemic of prescription drug abuse that threatens the lives of our nation’s youth. More young people now die each year from prescription drug overdoses than from heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, and inhalants, combined. Save A Star’s programs include direct educational presentations to schools, communities, and private organizations, advertising campaigns, and pill collection and disposal programs. Save A Star has also partnered with the DEA Educational Foundation to create a traveling educational exhibit call the “Rx Factor,” designed to reach millions across the country. For more information about Save a Star Drug Awareness Foundation, visit SAVEASTAR.org.

For more information, contact:

Lake Forest Police Department                    
Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister                                
847 234 2601                                                                                            

Lake Bluff Police Department
Deputy Chief Dave Belmonte  
847 234 2153

Speak Up! Prevention Coalition
Betty Frank-Bailey, Director
847 295 9075

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 22, 2010