Author: wctrueblue

WASHINGTON – With families encouraged to stay at home due to the nationwide health crisis, the Drug Enforcement Administration is asking Americans to keep prescription medications safe and secure until they can properly dispose of them.

The Secure Your Meds awareness campaign addresses a vital public safety and health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. The campaign also prompts families to discuss the issue of controlled prescription drug abuse.

“Protecting the health and safety of our communities is DEA’s top priority, especially during the unprecedented public health emergency,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “With Americans at home, families need to be even more vigilant and keep prescription medications safe, secure, and out of reach of children and others in the household.”

DEA holds its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day twice a year. However, because of the current nationwide coronavirus pandemic, DEA postponed the 2020 Spring Take Back Day, originally scheduled for April 25, 2020. DEA will reschedule Take Back day for a date shortly after the health crisis recedes and national emergency guidelines are lifted.

In the meantime, DEA wants to remind Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and secure unused, unwanted, and expired prescription medications for the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, on a date to be determined.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifts restrictions, DEA will reschedule Take Back Day. More information on the Secure Your Meds campaign and Take Back Day is available at http://www.DEATakeBack.com.

Webster County KY-ASAP has partnered with the Dixon Drug Store to provide a drive-thru drop-off location for unused medications during regular store hours. Unused prescription medications may also be returned to Clay Drug Store during regular business hours.

Kentucky’s House of Representatives adopted “tobacco 21” legislation on March 26, 2020; the bill already passed the Senate and will soon be headed to Gov. Beshear’s desk. Senate Bill 56 would conform Kentucky statutes to new federal law raising the legal age to purchase all tobacco products to 21; the bill also would remove status offense and other penalties on youth who purchase, use or possess tobacco products. Following statement is from Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow:

“Today, the Kentucky General Assembly took a crucial step to publicly recognize that tobacco products are extremely harmful, especially for our youth whose developing brains are particularly susceptible to nicotine,” said Ben Chandler, chair of the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow, which comprises more than 225 Kentucky organizations working to reduce tobacco use in the Commonwealth. “While smoking among our youth has been declining for decades, e-cigarette use has exploded the past three years. In 2019, more than 53,000 high school students and 27,000 middle schoolers in Kentucky were using e-cigarette, or ‘vaping.’ Removing the penalties is about improving health as well because inserting kids into our judicial system for these types of offenses leads to worse health outcomes. Congratulations to the Kentucky legislature, and to Sen. Ralph Alvarado, for their work to protect our youth from tobacco.” 

Information provided by:

Rich Nading, Tobacco Control Coordinator, Green River District Health Department

Webster County KY-ASAP True Blue DFC and Webster County Board of Education developed a plan in 2017 to implement Character Counts for all students, grades K-12.  Character Counts is framework for developing positive character traits and may be implemented in schools, homes, and communities.

For more information and Character Counts activities visit charactercounts.org or on Facebook @CharacterCounts.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week is March 30-April 3, 2020. During the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic when so many families are in self-isolation is the perfect time to start talking with your children about family expectations around alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Children need clear set guidelines.

For tips on how to talk with your children visit:

https://teens.drugabuse.gov/parents

March 10-12, 2020, Lily Martin, Raygan Ranes, and Seth Ranes attended the Kentucky Dover Youth2Youth Training in Louisville. Youth representing each Regional Prevention Center in Kentucky were asked to attend this training.  The students were trained in Youth Recruitment, Policy Change, Presentation Skills, and Developing Community awareness and Media Campaigns.

Lily, Raygan, and Seth are members of the YES Youth Council and the WC True Blue Crew. They will collaborate with Dianne McFarling, River Valley Prevention Center Director, and Cora Cain, River Valley Youth Empowerment Prevention Specialist, to train Western Kentucky youth.  River Valley Regional Prevention Center serves Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster.  Webster County middle and elementary True Blue Crew members will also be trained using the Youth2Youth Toolkit.

Please join the Webster County True Blue Crew in welcoming home Tiffany Cole Hall who will be our guest speaker for the next True Blue Community training on March 25.

WC True Blue was represented at the annual CADCA Forum, February 2-6, 2020, by Melea Ramin, Coalition Chairperson, and Donna Bumpus, DFC Coordinator.  Participants attended workshops on Youth Vaping; Gen-Z Marketing: Engaging the next Generation; Impacts of Marijuana Legalization; Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Rural Communities; Building Partnerships with Law Enforcement; and Exploring the Intersections of Opioids, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Suicide.

While attending the conference, WC True Blue was recognized as Runners Up for the National Dose of Prevention Award. The Dose of Prevention Award is sponsored by the Consumer Healthcare products Association (CHPA) and CADCA, this award recognizes member coalitions that have helped raise awareness about the dangers of over-the-counter cough medicine misuse and prescription drug misuses in their community during National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month in October, 2019.

The Webster County Middle School True Blue Crew recently participated in the APEX after school program. Crew members served as peer leaders introducing team building and Character Counts activities to their classmates.

On December 9, 2019, Judge Executive, Steve Henry, proclaimed the first day of each month in 2020 TRUE BLUE DAY in Webster County. On the first day of each month, all Webster County citizens are encouraged to wear royal blue in support of a drug free community. When the first falls on a weekend, we celebrate on the Friday prior to the first.