Atlanta, GA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/07/2014 --According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “One person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drug abuse in the United States.” Many experts in the field of prescription (Rx) and over the counter (OTC) drug abuse prevention believe the number of deaths from these drugs will decrease as a result of communities having a safe and convenient way to dispose of Rx and OTC drugs that are expired or simply not needed.

In response to the growing demand and need for a safe and convenient way to dispose of these Rx and OTC drugs year round, The Council on Alcohol and Drugs donated 135 drug drop boxes across the state of Georgia. These drug drop boxes allow for the safe disposal of unwanted and expired Rx and OTC drugs avoiding the environmental damage that occurs by putting them in the trash, flushing them down the toilet or emptying them into the sink.

The Council on Alcohol and Drugs and Georgia Law Enforcement are declaring “Operation Drug Drop Off” a complete success to date because an estimated 7,410 pounds from 135 reporting drug drop boxes (an average of 52.93 pounds per box with a low of 6 pounds and a high of 272 pounds) were recovered and destroyed over an 8 month period from May of 2013 to December 2013. When you consider that that the average weight for a prescription pill is .35 grams this translates to the removal of roughly 9,603,198 prescription pills in eight months or 1,200,399 prescription pills per month.

Georgia is now leading the country in law enforcement maintained controlled substance drug drop boxes which allows year round disposal. “Operation Drug Drop Off” reminds all of us that nothing is more powerful than Georgia citizens banding together to save lives! Great work Georgia!

Georgia citizens can locate their closest drug drop box location by visiting this website: http://www.StopRxAbuseInGA.org/ (not case sensitive). For additional information or questions concerning “Operation Drug Drop Off,”please contact John Bringuel, MA, ICPS, at (404) 223-2484 or email Mr. Bringuel at jbringuel@livedrugfree.org

For more information on preventing alcohol and drug abuse please visit, http://www.livedrugfree.org

For more information, contact:
John Bringuel, MA, ICPS
Statewide Project Director
Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative
The Council on Alcohol and Drugs