{"id":109532,"date":"2019-10-18T10:53:02","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T14:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=109532"},"modified":"2019-10-18T10:53:02","modified_gmt":"2019-10-18T14:53:02","slug":"stirpe-lets-work-together-to-fight-the-opioid-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=109532","title":{"rendered":"Stirpe: Let\u2019s work together to fight the opioid crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"226\" height=\"222\" src=\"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Al-Stirpe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Al-Stirpe.jpg 226w, https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Al-Stirpe-150x147.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><figcaption>Assemblyman Al Stirpe<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Substance abuse is a prevalent and persistent issue that\ndevastates far too many families and poses a significant risk to public health\nand safety. In 2017, 19.7 million Americans battled a substance use disorder.<a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftn1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;As a community,\nit\u2019s our duty to look out for one another and that includes helping our friends\nand loved ones through difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best ways to help is to take part in the federal\nDrug Enforcement Administration\u2019s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Far\ntoo often, unused prescription drugs end up in the wrong hands, leading to\ntragic results. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,\n9.9 million people misused controlled prescription drugs nationwide, the\nmajority of whom obtained the drugs from the medicine cabinets of family and\nfriends.<sup>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftn2\">[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 18<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;National Take Back Day is Saturday,\nOct. 26, a day for folks across the country to dispose of unused or expired\nprescription medication in a safe, environmentally conscious manner. During the\n17<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;Take Back Day, which took place in April, the DEA\ncollected more than 468 tons of medication, including&nbsp;42,565 pounds in New\nYork State alone.<a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftn3\"><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I encourage everyone to look through their medicine cabinets\nfor forgotten and expired medication so it can be disposed of properly, which\nwill help keep our loved ones safe. Here in Central New York, plenty of\ncollection sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 26, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Manlius Town Police Department, Kinney Drugs, 7065\nManlius Center Road, East Syracuse<\/li><li>DeWitt Police Department, Wegmans, 6789 E.\nGenesee St., Fayetteville<\/li><li>Cicero Police Department, Wegmans, 7952 Route\n11, Cicero<\/li><li>Cicero Police Department, Walgreens parking lot,\n6189 Route 31, Cicero<\/li><li>Cicero Police Department, Kinney Drugs, 8150\nThompson Road, Cicero<\/li><li>Onondaga County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Wegmans, 4979\nW. Taft Road, Liverpool<\/li><li>Onondaga County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Wegmans, 3955\nRoute 31, Liverpool<\/li><li>Onondaga County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Wegmans, 7519\nOswego Road, Liverpool<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are only some of the collection sites available\nlocally. For a full list, go to&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/takebackday.dea.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">takebackday.dea.gov<\/a>&nbsp;and scroll down to the collection\nsite locator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a few\ntips on how to properly dispose of unwanted medication \u2013 the first of which is\nto see if a take back program is available in your municipality. The EPA also\nrecommends taking the drugs out of their original containers, mixing them with\nundesirable substances like coffee grinds or cat litter, placing it into a\ndisposable container with a lid \u2013 such as a sealable bag or margarine container\n\u2013 and placing it into the trash. Folks should also remember to remove any\npersonal information from prescription bottles before throwing them away.<a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftn4\"><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medication\nshouldn\u2019t be flushed down the toilet or drain unless the label instructs you to\ndo so. Improper disposal can cause harmful chemicals to leach into groundwater\nand contaminate drinking water, or they can harm the environment by getting\ninto rivers and lakes.<a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftn5\"><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our state remains committed to addressing the ongoing opioid\nepidemic and helping people get back on their feet. To support people on the\nroad to recovery, I helped pass a state budget that allocates additional\nfunding to expand jail-based substance abuse disorder services in county jails.\nThe budget also created a new tax credit for employers of up to $2,000 for each\nperson hired who is in recovery from a substance use disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we move forward, I\u2019ll continue to expand access to\ntreatment and help New Yorkers in recovery start a new chapter of their lives.\nPrevention, however, is key, which is why I hope that the 18<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;Drug\nTake Back Day will be the most successful yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, my door is open to anyone who has questions about\nthis or any other community issue. Please contact my office at 315-452-1115\nor&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:StirpeA@nyassembly.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">StirpeA@nyassembly.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftnref1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/americanaddictioncenters.org\/rehab-guide\/addiction-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">americanaddictioncenters.org\/rehab-guide\/addiction-statistics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftnref2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/takebackday.dea.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">takebackday.dea.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftnref3\"><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/takebackday.dea.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/NTBI%2017%20Totals-April2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">takebackday.dea.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/NTBI%2017%20Totals-April2019.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftnref4\"><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/epa.gov\/sites\/production\/files\/2015-06\/documents\/how-to-dispose-medicines.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">epa.gov\/sites\/production\/files\/2015-06\/documents\/how-to-dispose-medicines.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_528690478882515239__ftnref5\"><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;Ibid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Substance abuse is a prevalent and persistent issue that devastates far too many families and poses a significant risk to public health and safety. In 2017, 19.7 million Americans battled a substance use disorder.[1]&nbsp;As a community, it\u2019s our duty to look out for one another and that includes helping our friends and loved ones through [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23810,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=109532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=109532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=109532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=109532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}