Foto from a Facebook video produced by the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constable's Office shows Lt. Jim Slack demonstrating pick-up during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The officer appears ready to capture a package of medications thrown by a driver from his car window.
During the last event in October, Houston collected 11,000 pounds of prescription drugs, said Kathy Brown, diversion program manager for the Houston division. She noted that that amount was lower than in the previous year, which could be attributed to less participation due to the COVID pandemic. The amount represents almost 20 percent of the take-back medications in Texas.
“The majority of the opioid addictions in America start with prescription pills found in what? Medicine cabinets at home,” Brown said. However, Brown said “it’s extremely important to convey to the public that opioid misuse and abuse remain at an epidemic level in the United States.” Drug overdose deaths were up 16 percent last year, claiming 290 lives every day, with legal and illegal opioids present in 75 percent of fatalities.