The Drug Education Task Force of Freeborn County, along with Freeborn County Partners in Prevention, began an initiative last week aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse.

Drug Education Task Force Chairwoman Ann Austin said the initiative, “Move, Watch, Dispose,” started about a year ago in Mower County by the Austin Area Drug Task Force. It encourages people to move their prescription medications; to watch, keep track and monitor youth use; and to dispose of the medications using federal guidelines.

The local drug education task force liked the initiative and decided to try it out.

Under the program, 10,000 cards were distributed Friday to area pharmacies, Austin said. Most of the pharmacists have agreed to distribute them with prescriptions.

The cards go into detail about the program, encouraging people to move their prescription medications out of the drug cabinet in their bathrooms.

“It’s a very obvious area for people to look for prescription medication,” she said. The humidity generated in the bathroom may also compromise the integrity of the medicine.

Secondly the cards encourage people to keep track of their prescription medications and the number of pills in each bottle.

Take unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the trash.

Mixing prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and putting them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, will further ensure the drugs are not diverted.

Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs.

— Information from the Office of National Drug Control Policy

“Use among our teens is on the rise,” the card states. “Prescription drugs are readily available to teens. Too often old and unused prescription medications are kept and stored. Some youth are sharing prescribed meds with other youth.”

Parents should monitor their child’s medications.

Lastly, the cards encourage people to follow federal guidelines for proper disposal of prescription drugs. Specific instructions about how to dispose of prescriptions can be found on the prescription bottle or else people can ask their pharmacist for the information, Austin said. Some medication should not be flushed down the toilet, as it would affect water quality.

Though it is too early to tell how successful the campaign in Mower County has been, the chairwoman said she thinks any education that can be given can help people make a better choice.

“One of the strengths of us adopting this campaign is we’re working together with Austin, adopting a similar message and really trying to collaborate,” she said. “It can have a long-lasting effect on your social and physical well-being.”

Alice Englin, coalition director for Freeborn County Partners in Prevention, said she thinks people aren’t really aware that prescription drug abuse is an issue.

“We really want to raise the awareness and the education,” Englin said.

She noted there’s been stories of people sometimes hanging around pharmacies and listening to what people get for prescriptions and then approaching them afterward to ask them if they can buy one of their pills.

“Raising the awareness can make a huge difference,” she said. “When you think of drug use, you don’t usually think of prescriptions, but we’ve unfortunately moved beyond that. We need to figure out a way to be responsible with prescriptions.”

The Drug Education Task Force of Freeborn County got its name last August.

It was formerly known as the Meth Equals Death Task Force when there was a larger focus on preventing use of methamphetamine; however, the task force is now focused on awareness of gateway drugs such as marijuana and prescription drugs.