Just say "yes"

When you think of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), what sort of thoughts come to mind? Crack house busts, organized crime, reruns of "Cops" on cable? Certainly not an effort to clean out your medicine cabinet or help the environment by preventing the abuse or improper disposal of medication?

But that's exactly the goal of a campaign by the DEA this Saturday across the country. In an effort to curb rampant misuse of prescription and expired over-the-counter meds, the DEA is offering 4,000 drop-off sites across the nation where anyone can anonymously get rid of such medications. The program originated as a way to combat crime and increasing deaths linked to prescription drug abuse, but for me, the environmental angle holds just as much sway.

Each year, millions of pills or liquid medicines are flushed down the toilet or washed down the drain, exposing our waterways to traceable levels of these meds. This affects, not only our environment but studies have shown that even tap water in certain municipalities now shows detectable levels of medicines like birth control and anti-depressants. Doesn't exactly make you want to gulp down those recommended eight glasses a day, huh?

So take a moment today or tomorrow to gather up all those old medicines and clear your bathrooms out of discards you won't use anyway and that could easily pose a danger to your kids. Get rid of it the right way. You'll be doing your family, your medicine cabinet and our earth a favor.

For more information on the drop off, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39328587/ns/health-more_health_news/

To locate a drop off site near you, go to
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/NTBI/NTBI-PUB.pub;jsessionid=6176CC3BEEE0F599AE74679B3E6D1EEC?_flowExecutionKey=_cCF03CB76-1E64-1852-C6C3-7F609368AF03_k64982B34-0E99-25EB-7C37-7296A1B2A520