Prescription drug take back at Idaho State University

On shelves and in cabinets nationwide sit bottles of prescription medicine. From painkillers to antibiotics, these drugs are harmful if taken improperly or by someone who doesn’t need them. That’s the reason one class in ISU’s Department of Community and Public health organized a prescription drug take back.

“You know, you can say all day that the community needs education, the community needs prevention but unless you can find a way to actually get out there and do it, it’s not gonna work,” ISU Senior Caitlin Scott said.

And getting out there is a big part of the service learning process.

“The service learning process provides deeper understanding of the content material, actual application of skills and a positive impact on our community,” instructor Melissa Caudle said.

So how does taking prescription drugs back impact the community? It starts with identifying an issue.

“In Idaho, nearly 69,000 residents, aged 12 and older, abused prescription medication last year,” Caudle said. “So we know there is a need in our community to get these meds out of the hands of people who might abuse them.”

To the group, it didn’t matter how many people came out, as long as they made a difference.

“I mean, we said that if we could get one person to bring back their medication then we’ve been successful cause that’s one more person who wouldn’t have otherwise,” Scott explained.

The group took back any medicines, excluding liquids and needles, but put an emphasis on opioids. The event got off to a hot start when the first person brought in 44 bottles of medicine.

Hoping to bring in more people, several local businesses donated prizes as incentives.

At the end of the event, more than 300 prescriptions had been turned in.