Free lockboxes can secure opioid drugs

Anthony Pemberton loves for his grandkids and great granddaughter to come visit him. He wants to be sure they are safe. That is one reason why he appreciates the lockbox at his home, provided free by the

"I have bad cartilages and knee pain. I don't want to go through the surgery, so I do that instead of the surgery," said Pemberton. He takes a dozen different prescription pills throughout the day, including strong pain medication that could be addictive in the wrong hands.

The RCADC offers its free service so seniors and others can have some peace of mind that their medication is secure. They offer various type of locking boxes or cabinets. "The main thing is to keep someone from getting in it and taking a pill that don't know what it is," said Pemberton.

The coalition's Prevention Coordinator is Nathan Wray, who said people can receive the boxes for free, no questions asked. "Keeping medicine safe for their kids or maybe they might have someone as a guest in their home and they're not really comfortable with having this medicine laying around in the house."

The coalition offers a variety of educational services, plus a substance that can create gel to make old pills useless and safer for disposal. RCADC is also involved in Saturday's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, offering these extra locations where you can drop off old medicines:

- Walgreens in Harriman

- Food City in Kingston

- Walmart in Rockwood