The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Annual “Drop the Drugs” Day will be taking place on June 16, 2012. The event will be held in two separate locations: The DeFuniak Springs Police will be set up at the DeFuniak Wal-Mart from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Walton County Sheriff’s Office will be set up at the Santa Rosa Beach Wal-Mart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is geared at educating the public about the dangers of prescription medication and how the community can help in the fight against misuse of prescription medication. Citizens are encouraged to drop by one of the sites and drop off any unused or old prescription medication. The medicine will then be destroyed and out of the reach of the wrong hands.
“I think this is a great initiative to prevent these pills from falling into the possession of those who would abuse them,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said.
Statistics show that the misuse of prescription medication has been a problem for Walton County. According to the 2010 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, 17.3% of students age 15-17 in Walton County have used prescription pain relievers compared to 9.7% statewide. The Department of Children and Families said between 2009-2011 that there was average of 27.1 child mistreatments each month in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] circuit (which includes Walton County) each month suspected to include substance misuse. Even in death, prescription medications are showing up more and more. The FDLE Medical Examiners Commission said between January 2009 and June 2010, Benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants were frequently linked to overdose deaths and medical emergencies across Florida. The Center for Disease Control said in 2008 drug overdose deaths were second only to car crashes for unintentional injury deaths.
The event is being sponsored by the Substance Misuse Taskforce, which is made up of local agencies to include: Walton County Sheriff’s Office, DeFuniak Springs Police, Department of Children and Families, Families First Network, Walton County Corrections, COPE center, Walton County Head Start, Walton County Prevention Coalition, and the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. The taskforce are trying to discover ways to help educate the community and the largest events so far have been through Champion of Choices, a non-profit organization founded by Marc Mero, a professional wrestler, and Drop the Drugs Day. If you would like to know more about the task force or how you can help, please contact Bryan Callahan at 850-892-8035 ext. 233.
“I think this is a great initiative to prevent these pills from falling into the possession of those who would abuse them,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said.
Statistics show that the misuse of prescription medication has been a problem for Walton County. According to the 2010 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, 17.3% of students age 15-17 in Walton County have used prescription pain relievers compared to 9.7% statewide. The Department of Children and Families said between 2009-2011 that there was average of 27.1 child mistreatments each month in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] circuit (which includes Walton County) each month suspected to include substance misuse. Even in death, prescription medications are showing up more and more. The FDLE Medical Examiners Commission said between January 2009 and June 2010, Benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants were frequently linked to overdose deaths and medical emergencies across Florida. The Center for Disease Control said in 2008 drug overdose deaths were second only to car crashes for unintentional injury deaths.
The event is being sponsored by the Substance Misuse Taskforce, which is made up of local agencies to include: Walton County Sheriff’s Office, DeFuniak Springs Police, Department of Children and Families, Families First Network, Walton County Corrections, COPE center, Walton County Head Start, Walton County Prevention Coalition, and the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. The taskforce are trying to discover ways to help educate the community and the largest events so far have been through Champion of Choices, a non-profit organization founded by Marc Mero, a professional wrestler, and Drop the Drugs Day. If you would like to know more about the task force or how you can help, please contact Bryan Callahan at 850-892-8035 ext. 233.