While there are growing trends of prescription drugs being abused illegally, and children as young as 12 years old are raiding medicine cabinets to abuse medicine found there, effective steps can be taken to curb this trend. Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia applauds the initiative taken by Broward County, Florida, as part of the National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month.

"We don't have to sit back and watch as drug abuse occurs in our homes or communities," comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia. "Steps taken around the house, in your neighborhood, in your community, can make a big difference."

"Operation Medicine Cabinet" was an idea brought to reality by Sgt Lisa McElhaney of the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida. Shocked the increase of overdose deaths and drug addiction caused by medicines normally found in medicine cabinets, she came up with an idea to address this key drug diversion problem.

The Broward County 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.

The operation was simple: voluntarily bring in any unused pharmaceuticals to a community location, drop them off, and receive a $5 gift certificate from the participating pharmacies. No questions asked.

Working in cooperation with the Sheriff's Office and United Way, CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart participated in this landmark operation.

"This shows that we can all do something to prevent drug abuse," comments Ms. Rieser. "Whether organizing a operation such as 'Operation Medicine Cabinet', demanding that local convenience stores stop carrying drug paraphernalia, or educating our children, together we can do something about drug addiction and drug abuse. Congratulations to Sgt McElhaney and all those who helped."

For more information on drug rehabilitation, prescription drug abuse, or drug education, call Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.
 
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