In the wake of the opioid crisis in the US, preventative measures are necessary to save lives and prevent new addiction cases. Waiting until the unthinkable has happened isn’t a viable option any longer, and prevention is not only necessary, it’s a priority matter. Opioid abuse is the fastest rising addiction in the United States, and it also plays a part in the death of 1 in 5 youths in America. That means 20% of deaths of those under the age of 21 in the United States have some level of blame to place on opioids. We need to immediately limit the access to these dangerous and highly addictive prescription narcotics.
Due to the opioid crisis response act, several custom medication bags and prescription lockboxes are now being marketed as a preventative tool. The combination or keyed locking system built into the prescription medication bags are a powerful theft deterrent that are proven to reduce crimes of opportunity involving theft and misuse of prescription medication.
The medication bags are tamper-evident and leave marked evidence for the prescription holder to immediately notice and address with the appropriate parties and authorities. The medication bags are more affordable than prescription lock boxes, and can be customized with your logo or slogan.
Designed to padlock or zip tie, once the lock is engaged, the zipper cannot be moved beyond the metal hood. This means that without being plainly tampered with, the bag cannot be opened to retrieve the prescription medication inside. Without the entire bag being cut open or the zipper completely removed from the storage bag, access to the prescription medication cannot be gained.
These bags have already been deployed by state and tribal agencies in 5 states, and are being used at events in partnership with the medical communities. Washingtons’ Whatcom (Hope, heroin, and other opioid prevention and education programs) has made this medication bag readily available to the public at local pharmacies.
In addition to state and medical personnel, lockable narcotics bags are used by EMS and fire/rescue staff to reduce lawsuit and litigation risks and to prevent loss or theft of narcotics in an often hectic work environment that deals with narcotics distribution to patients.
However, the custom medication bags have a much more important use. Over 75% of opioid abuse starts with medication being ingested by a person the medication was not prescribed to. Over half of the youth today who are abusing opioids got the medication from a family member or a friend. By locking and safety storing narcotic prescriptions, that can be reduced to an almost zero percent access by always using medication lock boxes and locking medication storage bags.
By providing education about the devastating effects of opioid abuse and addiction, providing a safe and reliable means to lock and store dangerous narcotic prescriptions, and also supplying a safe means of disposal for any leftover quantities of these medications, the chances of abuse drastically decline. The benefit of the custom medication bags and medication lockboxes is clear; the fewer people who have access to the highly addictive prescription medications, the fewer people that will become addicted to them. Although not every opportunity to abuse the prescription is removed, the individual prescription holder can ensure that no person in their household or workplace can illegally gain access to their prescription. This essentially removes the chance that a child or family member inside the home will ingest their prescription medication without their knowledge.
Of course, no storage device is foolproof. If you are in possession of opioids or other prescription narcotics, you should be on the lookout for signs that others in your household or workplace have gained access to your prescriptions. In addition, you should always keep track of how many pills you have left in your prescription and notify the proper authorities should any of your prescription medication go missing.
If you have a leftover medication after you have treated your pain per your doctors’ orders, it is imperative that you do not leave any leftover medication in your house to be taken by anyone other than yourself. If your community does not allow medications to be flushed, you should remove all of the identification stickers from the pill bottles. Then, fill the pill bottle with water, kitty litter and coffee grounds. Then seal the pill bottle with duct tape, and throw the entire bottle and contents away inside of your regular garbage contents.
By using custom medication bags to help curb the opioid crisis and prevent the accidental ingestion of your prescription narcotics by other people, you can help to save the life of someone who is attempting to ingest your prescription to obtain a high that could very well take their life.
These bags have already been deployed by state and tribal agencies in 5 states, and are being used at events in partnership with the medical communities. Washingtons’ Whatcom (Hope, heroin, and other opioid prevention and education program) have made this medication bag readily available to the public at local pharmacies.
In addition to state and medical personnel, lockable narcotics bags are used by EMS and fire/rescue staff to reduce lawsuit and litigation risks, and to prevent loss or theft of narcotics in an often hectic work environment that deals with narcotics distribution to patients.
However, the custom medication bags have a much more important use. Over 75% of opioid abuse starts with medication being ingested by a person the medication was not prescribed to. Over half of the youth today who are abusing opioids got the medication from a family member or a friend. By locking and safety storing narcotic prescriptions, that can be reduced to an almost zero percent access by always using medication lock boxes and locking medication storage bags.
By utilizing these medication locking storage bags, you are helping to prevent accidental ingestion, or accidental overdose by prescription drug misuse and abuse. Don’t take chances with your family and loved ones. Always secure your prescription narcotics in a locking medication storage bag for safekeeping.
