The American Medicine Chest Challenge

Media release: The event will take place on November 12, 2011 in communities across the country. This initiative will challenge Floyd County residents to take the Five-Step American Medicine Chest Challenge:

- Take inventory of your prescription and over-the-counter medicine.

- Lock your medicine chest.

- Properly dispose of your unused, unwanted, and expired medicine in your home or at an American Medicine Chest Challenge Disposal site. For information on proper disposal see website at www.americanmedicinechest.com

- Take your medicine(s) exactly as prescribed.

- Talk to your children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

To help combat this growing threat to our nation's children, Floyd Against Drugs and Floyd Medical Center is hosting the American Medicine Chest Challenge. Floyd County residents can take their unused and expired prescription drugs to Floyd Medical Center's Administrative Building located at 420 E. 2^{nd Ave on Saturday, November 12th between 10:00 and 2:00 p.m.}

According to the United States Attorney's Office of Northern District of Georgia, 

-Abuse of prescription drugs is the fastest-growing segment for illegal drug use in the United States.　 More people abuse prescription drugs than the number of people who use cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin combined.

-Recent statistics show that the number of people who died in one year from overdoses of prescription drugs alone (508) is more than six times the number of people who died from overdoses of all other illegal drugs combined (86).　 

- The number of emergency room visits attributable to the abuse of prescription drugs increased by 97 percent from 2004 to 2008.

- The explosive increase in prescription drug abuse is of particular concern among teenagers.　 Recent statistics show that 1 in 5 teens reported that they have abused prescription drugs to get high, and 1 in 7 reported doing so in the past 12 months.

The American Medicine Chest Challenge is gained the national support of PhRMA, The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, and the American College of Emergency Physicians.