Law enforcement and Treasure Valley teens collected unused prescription drugs on Saturday. About 11 high school students took part in a Boise pharmaceutical take-back event at the Ada County Sheriff’s office. One Stone, a student-led Boise nonprofit, headed up the event with the DrugFree Idaho Coalition.
“We have seen the horrible consequences of prescription drug abuse in our schools and for some of us, even our friends and family,” said Zach Andreason a senior at Rocky Mountain High School. “We felt that we had to do something about it that led to a real solution.”
Seven percent of Idaho teens reported taking a prescription drug without a physician’s prescription, according to a 2013 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior study. Teens involved with One Stone were motivated to do something about the high rate of prescription drug misuse amongst young people.
“It’s such a positive thing to see these youth understand the problem and the risk involved with prescription medication,” said Rob Stevenson, executive director of the DrugFree Idaho Coalition.
This will be the last pharmaceutical take-back event in the Treasure Valley. Ada County residents can visit Curb It Boise for permanent medication disposal locations and guidelines.
