Limtiaco said about 2,500 teens around the nation use prescription drugs to get high every day and 56 percent of them believe that those are easier to obtain than illegal drugs.
Michael Puralewski, the newly assigned Drug Enforcement Administration resident agent in-charge of Guam and the Northern Marianas, said more than 100 tons of unused or expired drugs were collected last year throughout the country, including Guam and Hawaii, during the conduct of the campaign.
Guam joined the campaign last year and Northern Marianas is joining for the first time this April 30.
Limtiaco and Puralewski said residents can turn in their unused or expired drugs, with no questions asked, in the parking lot of the Horiguchi Building in Garapan from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The youth are getting these prescription drugs mainly from their own medicine cabinet that’s why we are asking the families to turn them in. No questions asked. Get those drugs out. Get them out of the hands of the youth and turn them in,” Puralewski said.
Similar collection sites on Rota and Tinian will be arranged to accommodate residents who will turn in their unused drugs.
“We want to ensure that members of our community who have unused or expired drugs are able to dispose of them in a safe manner. The National Take Back Initiative is going to be held on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We have a collection site outside the Horiguchi Building,” said Limtiaco during a media conference held late yesterday afternoon in the U.S. Attorney’s Office conference room.
She said unused prescription drugs are easy to obtain and free and so disposing them in a safe manner would protect the youth from the possibility of abusing them.
The U.S. attorney said there have been cases in the country where some youths died from ingesting prescription drugs in cocktail parties whereby the pills are mixed in a bowl and people are asked to take them in bunches according to color.
“We need our public to be aware about this and to ensure that youths are not going to be exposed to the possibility of abusing prescription drugs,” she said.
Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said unused drugs also pose danger to children who may accidentally ingest them.
He too is encouraging the public to turn in their unused drugs on April 30.
“This is a great opportunity to turn in unused drugs,” he said.
Rose Mondala, director of the Aging Center, said this is a welcome development for the CNMI, especially for the manamko’ who take a lot of medication, which could potentially be abused by members of their households.
Lt. Anthony Blas Jr. of the Division of Customs said residents are typically allowed only to stock up to 90 days supply of their medication.
Stock beyond that is subject to confiscation.
Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Melvin Faisao and Warren Villagomez of the Department of Public Health were also in the press conference.
