Free lock bags available to keep meds out of the wrong hands

Due to highly addictive prescription drugs kept in the medicine cabinets or nightstands of many households, the South Lake Tahoe Drug Free Coalition (DFC) is giving away lock bags so people can keep their prescriptions safe from unauthorized use.

Oxycontin, Demerol, Valium, Ritalin, Adderall, Xanax, Percocet, and Codeine, are also some of the most prescribed and readily-available drugs. They are so readily available that 1 in every 4 teens in America say they have used or misused a prescription drug.

The most common sources for prescription pills is either a parent’s medicine cabinet, or from a friend or family member.

Unprescribed use of medication is not only a nationwide epidemic, but is also a problem in South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities, and can lead to more serious problems, including heroin use. Theft of prescription drugs from home medicine cabinets, and especially from supplies at the homes of senior citizens, is on the rise.

Studies show that using locking medicine storage is a deterrent to drug abuse, especially by teens, as their access to prescription drugs becomes limited.

The DFC received a grant from the Barton Foundation earlier this year to purchase locking medicine bags and give them out to the community. During the Annual Active Living Health Fair in Douglas County, Kelsey Magoon, the Coalition Project Coordinator, handed out ten bags to interested participants, then she gave another 20 bags to members of the Tahoe Douglas Senior Center.

Not only seniors are eligible. All households, especially those with teens, can get a free locking bag. For more information, or to get a free bag, contact Magoon at her office at Tahoe Youth & Family Services at (530)541-2445, or by email at kmagoon@tahoeyouth.org. She is also available to speak to groups about the South Lake Tahoe Drug Free Coalition, visit clubs or participate in community events.