Before Wednesday (1/30/2018) there was only one location in Miller County to dispose of unused and expired medications – the Miller County Sheriff’s Office. Now, thanks to the teamwork of the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department (TAPD) and the Texarkana Emergency Center, there are two NEW locations to safely drop off medications in the city! The medications dropped off are regularly collected by law enforcement officials, and are later taken to a facility to be destroyed in an environmentally safe manner.

TAPD spokesperson Cpl. Kristi Bennett said in 2017, residents of Miller County dropped-off more than 230 pounds of unused and out of date prescriptions or over the counter drugs for destruction. She said due to that success,Dr. Matt Young of the Texarkana Emergency Center, invested in two additional drug take back boxes for Texarkana. One box is located behind the Bi State Justice Center (100 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, AR.) and the other box – or the third medication drop-box in the area – is located outside the Texarkana Emergency Center (4646 Cowhorn Creek Rd., Texarkana, TX).

“It is important to know that law enforcement is only interested in the removal of unused and/or outdated medications and over the counter drugs from the homes of our citizens,” Cpl. Bennett said. “It matters not whose name is on the prescription, by whom it was prescribed, where it was prescribed, or where you reside. We stress that it makes no difference if you live in Texas or Arkansas. We take back all medications, no questions asked.”

However, the law enforcement officers request that people do not deposit any needles or “sharps” without a cap. Cpl. Bennett said people can also hand deliver their medications to officers at the next Arkansas Drug Take Back event, which is set for April 28, at the Miller County Sheriff’s Office on East Street in Texarkana.

“Why should you participate in this proactive effort to remove unused prescription medications from your home?” Bennett asked. “42 percent. That is the percent of teenagers who have abused or misused a prescription drug obtained them from their parent’s medicine cabinet. And 64 percent of teenagers (age 12-

17) who have abused prescription pain relievers said they got them from friends or relatives. About two-thirds of all prescription drugs (which also include stimulants such as Adderall and depressants like Ativan) illegally obtained are taken from people’s homes and not pharmacies or off the street.”

She added, “Another reason to participate is because leftover medicine is toxic waste. It poses a danger to people, pets, and the environment if it’s not disposed of properly. If flushed or thrown away it can get into the waterways, affecting our drinking water. Just as we don’t put used motor oil or leftover paint thinner in the trash, we should not put toxic leftover medicines in the garbage. Unwanted medicines should be disposed of properly like other household hazardous waste.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control Arkansas is number 2 in the nation in the amount of prescription distribution, at 114.6 painkiller prescriptions per 100 people. The national average is 66.5 painkiller prescriptions per 100 people.

“Arkansas was number 8 in the U.S. in 2015 for the prescribing rate and we increased to number 2 in 2016,”Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane said. “That occurred because other states did more to take on the opioid problem. We [Arkansas] have not done enough.”

Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the U.S., exceeding vehicle fatalities by 50 percent. More than 143 people in America die each day due to a drug overdose. In Arkansas, 1,067 people have died from a drug overdose in a 3-year span (319 in 2013, 356 in 2014, and 392 in 2015). Arkansas is also in the top 20 percent of states that prescribe the most painkillers per capita.

Cpl. Bennett said that with citizens assistance “We are going to change these statistics!”

Counties and cities across Arkansas are poised to hold accountable the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies over their misleading and deceptive marketing of prescription opioid painkillers.

In a unique and strategic move, the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC), Arkansas Municipal League (AML), and Arkansas Public Entities Risk Management Association (APERMA) have retained the same outside law firms to pursue litigation against the drug companies on behalf of the local govern­ments of Arkansas.

To date, 69 of the state’s 75 counties have signed on to the litigation. Cities and towns are strongly rep­resented in the litigation, as well.

“AML membership comprising more than 80 percent of the population living in Arkansas’ cities and towns have signed contracts and joined the Arkansas opioid litigation,” said AML Executive Director Don Zimmerman.

Cumulatively, the AAC, AML, and APERMA represent virtually every city and county in the state of Arkansas. This unique legal collaboration brings together county judges, mayors, sheriffs, police chiefs, fire chiefs, first responders, and coroners — officials best positioned to lead the charge against opioids. As a unified force in this litigation, local government in Arkansas will have the ability to end this high-priced epidemic and to heal our communities from the ravages of opioid abuse.

The AML, AAC, and APERMA were encouraged last week when Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced her intention to launch an investigation into the opioid crisis. Throughout her time in office, Rutledge has been a leader in response to the opioid epidemic. She introduced a first-in-the-nation educational tool — Prescription for Life — that is free to high schools across Arkansas. Addi­tionally, the Attorney General sponsors statewide drug take-back initiatives and the annual Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit. The summit provides free training and educational opportunities for law enforcement officers, medical professionals, pharmacists, and educators on prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment.

Given the Attorney General’s vast knowledge and expertise on the matter, the state’s investigation adds strength to the opioid litigation that is unprecedented. We laud Attorney General Rutledge and her of­fice for taking a stand for Arkansas.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane also have shown great lead­ership in response to the opioid epidemic. Governor Hutchinson and Director Lane have supported

legislation allowing pharmacists to dispense naloxone — an antidote for opioid overdose — without a prescription. They also helped establish a statewide protocol for tracking the prescribing and dispens­ing of opioids, allowing law enforcement to watch for trends and anticipate problems, and they have worked to establish more drug courts, among other initiatives, to combat the opioid epidemic.

“Our hope is to work cooperatively with all governmental entities in Arkansas that have been affected by the opioid epidemic, including the state,” said AAC Executive Director Chris Villines.

Unity among Arkansas counties and cities has created a force to be reckoned with that can put an end to this epidemic.

“Through cohesion and cooperative efforts, we hope for a united Arkansas approach to this litigation that would force drug companies and the courts to take Arkansas seriously — cities, counties, and the state,” Villines said.