Prescription drug abuse is a prominent public health crisis both nationally and in North Carolina. To help educate families in our community about making their homes safe from prescription drug misuse, Anuvia has launched the Safe Homes Campaign for substance use disorder prevention for families at home and as part of our youth substance abuse prevention programs. 

What Can I Do to Prevent Drug Abuse?

• Properly store medications by locking them in a secure area. Keep them out of reach of others and out of the medicine cabinet, where they might be easily accessible.           
• Dispose of old, expired, or unused medications properly. Click here for a list of secure disposal sites around Mecklenburg County. For information on how to safely dispose at home visit here.
• Educate yourself and your family:
  • Learn about the most commonly misused types of prescription medications
  •  Lock Your Meds
  •  National Institute on Drug Abuse
  •  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• If someone you know might have a problem, seek help.

Medication Misuse by the Numbers

• According to the 2018 Youth Drug Survey, 14.7% of Mecklenburg County high school students have reported taking a prescription drug that was not prescribed to them.
• 1,718 NC residents have unintentionally overdosed and died since 2018 as a result of opioids (NC Opioid Action Plan Data Dashboard)
• Two out of three drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved an opioid, according to the CDC.

Additional Resources 

• Medication Lockboxes from Walmart – $10 each
• Medication disposal packets from Amazon – $13 for 3
• Naloxonsaves.org – A harm reduction resource for NC with info on naloxone and how to access it.
• Good Samaritan Law/Naloxone Access – click to learn more about the “911 Good Samaritan” Law/Naloxone Access (SB20). The bill aims to provide limited immunity from prosecution charges for less than one gram of drugs or paraphernalia to people who call 911 to report an overdose, among other provisions.
• Script Your Life Medication Planning Tool: English and Spanish
• Why the Label Matters: English and Spanish
• Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety Poster     

What is the Lock Your Meds Campaign?

Anuvia is committed to preventing the abuse of prescription drugs in Mecklenburg County. Research has shown that most youth who begin trying prescription drugs for non-medical purposes do so at their home. We at Anuvia want to take a proactive step to ensure we are limiting access to prescription drugs within the homes of our community members.

Anuvia is committed to preventing prescription drug abuse in Mecklenburg County. Research shows that many youth who try prescription drugs for non-medical purposes do so at home. The Lock Your Meds ® campaign, a national initiative through the National Family Partnership, encourages parents and caregivers to lock up all medications to prevent youth access and support substance use disorder prevention at home.