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<p>Numerous local officials working in the area of crime, drug abuse and aging met with local representatives at the Luzerne County Courthouse on Friday, ushering in the beginning of a multi-county initiative to stop prescription medication from getting into the wrong hands.</p><p>State Reps. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, and Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, announced Friday as &#8220;Lock &#8216;em Up Day&#8221; for Luzerne County, urging all seniors to properly secure and dispose of their prescription medications.</p><p>As part of a statewide effort, Boback introduced &#8212; with members from both parties unanimously passing &#8212; House Resolution 1070 this past fall, making Oct. 19, 2016, the first annual &#8220;Lock em&#8217; Up Day in PA.&#8221; Now, Boback plans to target Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wyoming counties by bringing the initiative home.</p><p>&#8220;As we know, prescription drug abuse and misuse is a growing epidemic in the United States, and right here in our commonwealth,&#8221; she said, citing a statistic that over 3,500 Pennsylvanians died in 2015 from opioid overdoses, or about 10 people per day.</p><p>Pashinski said the idea came to Boback during the summer, when a bi-partisan committee traveled across the state listening to numerous testimonies on opiate addiction and how drug abuse has affected communities all over Pennsylvania. After listening to a grandmother explain the story of how she took an empty bottle of prescription medication back to the pharmacy for a refill, only to be told that she shouldn&#8217;t be out of pills yet and that her refill date isn&#8217;t up, Boback said the grandmother had to then consider what had happened to her pills &#8212; and who could have taken them.</p><p>Pashinski, as many others, said that drug addiction sees no boundaries and takes all walks of life as its prisoners, regardless of race, gender, wealth and more.</p><p>&#8220;These are our family members. These are our brothers, our sisters, our neighbors and our friends,&#8221; he said.</p><p>As part of the effort, numerous blue drop boxes marked &#8220;MedReturn&#8221; have been placed throughout Luzerne County to safely discard any unused or expired medications. Two are located in the Luzerne County Courthouse, as well as in Pittston, the Back Mountain and Hazleton.</p><p>Boback said it is imperative that seniors begin to take responsibility and be mindful of where they place their prescriptions, as they are often the victims of prescription theft. She also added that more often than not, the abusers of opioid medications are usually friends, family and caregivers &#8212; with ages starting as young as 12 years-old.</p><p>Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis opioid abuse and drug-related deaths are at an all-time high in Luzerne County, with 137 recorded in the county in 2016 &#8212; up from 95 in 2015 and 67 in 2014. Luzerne County recently made national headlines as NBC News visited Wilkes-Barre and surrounding areas to run a feature on the local drug epidemic.</p><p>&#8220;This is something that we need to continue to do in order to combat this battle going on here right now as a community,&#8221; Salavantis said, adding that roughly 85 percent of the crime rate in Luzerne County is due to drug addiction. &#8220;We are seeing such a drastic increase in these overdoses and, I can tell you first-hand based on the calls that I receive, we are going to see another drastic increase this year. Something needs to be done to stop this number from continuing to climb every single year.&#8221;</p><p>Luzerne County Sheriff Brian Szumski </p><p> said the two drop boxes located inside the Luzerne County Courthouse has collected roughly 430 pounds of discarded prescription medications since their placement in October.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne, right, talks about the importance of locking up prescription drugs as state Rep. Karen Boback and District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis look on Friday afternoon at the Luzerne County Courthouse. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012817LockEmUp_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne, right, talks about the importance of locking up prescription drugs as state Rep. Karen Boback and District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis look on Friday afternoon at the Luzerne County Courthouse. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012817LockEmUp_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A drug collection unit is available in the lobby of the Luzerne County Courthouse for the safe disposal of unwanted drugs. Friday was proclaimed &#8216;Lock Em Up Day in Luzerne County PA&#8217; during a program to share information with area residents about medication diversion and remind residents to lock up their prescription drugs. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012817LockEmUp_3.jpg</photo1><caption1>A drug collection unit is available in the lobby of the Luzerne County Courthouse for the safe disposal of unwanted drugs. Friday was proclaimed &#8216;Lock Em Up Day in Luzerne County PA&#8217; during a program to share information with area residents about medication diversion and remind residents to lock up their prescription drugs. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012817LockEmUp_1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State Rep. Karen Boback, center, hosts &#8216;Lock &#8216;Em Up Day in Luzerne County PA&#8217; at the county courthouse on Friday to share information with area residents about medication diversion and remind residents to lock up their prescription drugs. Also attending, from left, are state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, county council Vice-Chair Tim McGinley, state Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne, Sheriff Brian Szumski and District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012817LockEmUp_1.jpg</photo2><caption2>State Rep. Karen Boback, center, hosts &#8216;Lock &#8216;Em Up Day in Luzerne County PA&#8217; at the county courthouse on Friday to share information with area residents about medication diversion and remind residents to lock up their prescription drugs. Also attending, from left, are state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, county council Vice-Chair Tim McGinley, state Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne, Sheriff Brian Szumski and District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Officials give residents this prescription drug reminder: ‘Lock ‘em up’