Opioid Prevention

The majority of opioid abuse cases begin with prescription drug use. One effective means of preventing opioid misuse is to dispose of unneeded and unused prescription opioids.

Drug disposal boxes are located throughout Fulton County, which provide a place to safely and securely dispose of prescription drugs. Pharmaceuticals are regularly retrieved from the locked boxes and transported to the GBI incinerator in metro Atlanta by law enforcement personnel. 

Locate the drug disposal box closest to you with the Fulton County Drug Disposal Box Locator. View list of disposal boxes.

Accepted items include:

• Prescription medications
• Controlled substances 
• All over-the-counter medications
• Medication samples
• Pet medications
• Vitamins & supplements
• Homeopathic remedies
• Medicated ointments, lotions, creams and oils
• Liquid medication in leak-proof containers

Items NOT Accepted Include:

• Needles/sharps
• Syringes with needles
• Thermometers
• IV bags
• Bloody or infectious waste
• Personal care products
• Empty containers
• Hydrogen peroxide

Opioids have claimed the lives of hundreds of residents in Fulton County, and thousands around the nation.

Drug overdose deaths continue to increase in the United States. From 1999 to 2017, more than 702,000 people died from a drug overdose. In 2017 alone, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Of those deaths, almost 68% involved a prescription or illicit opioid according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

Millions of Americans suffer from pain and are often prescribed opioids to treat their conditions. However, the dangers of prescription misuse, opioid use disorder, and overdose have been a growing problem throughout the United States. Therefore, opioid use has become a complex web of misuse or abuse, creating a crisis with devastating costs in human life and economic impact.

Since the 1990s, when the amount of opioids prescribed to patients began to grow, the number of overdoses and deaths from prescription opioids has also increased.

Even as the amount of opioids prescribed and sold for pain increased, the amount of pain that Americans report did not similarly change. Now, in a trend that seems to be accelerating, prescriptions for opioid pain medication have been falling according to a report by the health analytics firm IQVIA and reported to Pain News Network.

Per the report, the volume of prescription opioids dispensed in the United States in 2018 fell 17 percent, the largest annual decline ever recorded. While opioid prescriptions have fallen significantly, addiction and overdose rates continue to soar, fueled largely by illicit fentanyl, heroin and other black market opioids. 

According to RTI International’s research, 24.2% of young adults (ages 18 -25) were current users of illicit drugs in 2017, compared to 7.9% of adolescents (ages 12 -17) and 9.5% of adults (26 or older). One of the most important responses to the current crisis is to limit future deaths by keeping people, particularly at-risk populations like adolescents and young adults from misusing opioids in the first place. 

Opioid use disorders (OUDs) can be effectively treated with a combination of medications, behavioral therapies and counseling. OUD medications such as buprenorphine and methadone have been shown to reduce death rates by up to 50% and help individuals return to normal social relations, along with work and/or school.

For more information, please call 404-612-3561 or email Lynnette.allen@fultoncountyga.gov

During its July 19,  2019 board meeting, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution sponsored by Vice Chairman Bob Ellis, District 2, and Commissioner Liz Hausmann, District 1, establishing an Opioid Misuse & Abuse Prevention Plan for Fulton County.

The resolution seeks to implement prevention solutions in response to a growing opioid epidemic in Fulton County and nationwide. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office identified 154 opioid-related deaths in 2016, an increase of 156% since 2010. In 2015, Fulton County had approximately 11.7 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 residents, more than double the national rate.

The Prevention Plan established through the resolution provides a framework based on four key steps:

1. Increase the Number of Drug Drop Boxes – while also ensuring that the public is aware of those boxes, in coordination with Fulton County cities and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Approximately 80% of heroin addictions begin with prescription opioid use, and most of those traced to one’s own prescription or that of a friend or family member.
   
   
2. Introduce a Crisis Text Assistant Line - in Fulton County and Atlanta public schools, providing information and resources to teens and young adults who text for assistance with bullying, behavioral health needs and other concerns that place them at higher risk of opioid use. A budget of $30,000 was approved to establish the pilot, which is modeled after a similar program in Lake County, IL.
3. Launch a Public Awareness Campaign - to raise awareness and provide education about the risks associated with opioid addiction and intervention resources, in coordination with stakeholders, including schools, cities and other partners. The program will be launched in September, which will be declared as “Opioid Misuse and Abuse Awareness Month.”
4. Enhance Education and Accountability from Medical Providers through development and distribution of educational materials for prescribing physicians as well as patients.

Key Fulton County departments will be part of the plan implementation, including Behavioral Health, Public Health, law enforcement agencies, and others.

Through the Text for Help Program, Fulton County middle and high school students can send and receive confidential text messages and support from licensed clinicians. The program, operated under the governance of Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities, is operated 365 days per year and 24 hours per day every day for students that may be in a crisis or for those who want to help friends or classmates. Licensed clinicians on call respond to text messages within 3 minutes of receiving the incoming text with referrals and resources.

Each Fulton County school that utilizes the Text 4 Help system has a unique identifying code, however in the case of a life-threatening situation not only will emergency responders be immediately notified, but school personnel will also be contacted. The system allows teens freedom to reach out for help without fear due to text messages being routed through a cloaking server that keeps all information confidential.  

Text 4 Help is available for communication of any kind of concern, though it is primarily intended for students to use when they need immediate mental health assistance or have a drug/alcohol abuse concern for themselves or a friend. 

To find more than 240+ drug disposal locations other than the ones we have on our list:

To locate the nearest Drug Drop Box location, please visit this website: http://prescriptiondrugdisposal.com/.