Facebook, Google & Twitter Unite For National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

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Published on October 24, 2020, 6:40 pm
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The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) – a coalition dedicated to protecting and educating consumers about prescription drug safety – and an unprecedented collaboration of tech leaders Google, Facebook and Twitter have united under Tech Together to support this year’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day efforts on October 24. Tech Together partners will utilize their platforms to provide information through a personalized automated Facebook messenger experience, custom Twitter emoji and Google mapping tools for families and individuals wanting to safely dispose of unused medicines.

According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs, and those numbers have only increased since CoViD. The DEA also cited the number one source of misused opioids as the medicine cabinets of friends or family members. In 2019, Take Back Day brought in 882,919 pounds (almost 442 tons) of unused or expired prescription medication and vape devices. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to nearly 12.7 million pounds​. 

“The majority of prescription drug misuse in our nation comes from drugs found in the medicine cabinet in our homes,” says CSIP Executive Director Marjorie Clifton. “While it may seem surprising, statistically, most addiction and misuse starts in our households with friends or family, and flushing medications or putting them in your trashcan is still hazardous. While we are sheltered at home and cleaning out our closets, this is a great opportunity for every household to help fight our nation’s opioid crisis. The tools on our platforms will make it easy to find a convenient drop off location near you on October 24.”

Tech Together is promoting the efforts of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which provides education and location tools for prescription drop sites on October 24, 2020. Google has developed a map to find convenient locations to dispose of unneeded medication.

CSIP, in partnership with Facebook, launched an automated Facebook messenger experiencethat provides Facebook users with quick and direct access to their closest disposal location on google maps, FAQ’s and treatment resources.

Twitter created a custom emoji that is activated with the hashtags #TakeBackDay and #DEATakeBackDay to elevate and amplify the conversation. 

The Tech Together coalition is an ongoing effort, created to provide online resources for families and individuals on their journey of recovery from substance misuse. Thirty-five35 million Americans currently suffer from substance use disorders and according to numbers recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2019. Since CoViD-19, more than 35 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality, as well as a 20 percent increase in calls to agencies reporting overdoses.

In partnership with national and local recovery experts, the Tech Together website (Tech Together.co) provides a one-stop location for finding information about substance misuse, seeking recovery, staying in recovery or creating a community of support.

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About Tech Together

Tech Together is a coalition of leading technology companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter operating in partnership with the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) with the goal of leveraging our respective platforms, products and tools to help address the opioid crisis.  Since its founding November of 2018, Tech Together has reached more than 100,000 site visitors with its recovery tools. Tech Together is committed to using its platform to raise public awareness and education about substance use disorder and recovery and making it easier for people to find the support they need to battle addiction and stigma.

About the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP)

The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) is a nonprofit organization chartered in 2011 by Internet industry leaders with the goal of protecting consumers from the threat of illegitimate pharmacies on the Internet. Our board includes members from online advertising service providers, social media companies, payment system operators, registries and registrars and shipping companies. CSIP members have come together to focus on the promotion of safe online pharmacies through consumer education initiatives, aiding law enforcement efforts, and establishing voluntary practices. The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and our 11 member companies have the shared goal of helping address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. For more information about where to safely buy prescription drugs online or to verify your pharmacy, go to www.safemedsonline.org. Join the conversation on Twitter at@safemedsonlineand onFacebook.com/safemedsonline.

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Jonas Bronck is the pseudonym under which we publish and manage the content and operations of The Bronx Daily.™ | Bronx.com - the largest daily news publication in the borough of "the" Bronx with over 1.5 million annual readers. Publishing under the alias Jonas Bronck is our humble way of paying tribute to the person, whose name lives on in the name of our beloved borough.