There’s crack in your medicine cabinet, or there may as well be, for those prescription drugs in the bathroom can have the same deadly effect, according to local addiction experts.

Getting rid of those drugs and putting the Vicodin,  Xanax and Adderall out of young hands was one of the goals April 30 when Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi joined law enforcement officials at the Valrico Sweetbay Supermarket for the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Tampa Police Department, collected unused or expired medication as part of an ongoing effort to crack down on illegal pill mills and prevent prescription drug abuse.

The public was able to drop off medication anonymously, with no questions asked, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Sweetbay at 2535 East State Road 60. The other collection sites were at Sweetbay supermarkets on Ehrlich Road, North Dale Mabry Highway and West Swann Avenue.

“Prescription drugs are now the drug of choice for those aged 12 to 17 in Florida. It’s a huge problem and it’s a top priority for my office,” said Bondi. “We have become the epicenter for drug abuse in the country and we are going to do everything in our power to stop it.”

Often the family medicine cabinet is where the prescription drug abuse problem begins, Bondi said.

“By participating in this national event, parents and families can help protect their loved ones by providing a safer home environment.”

“(Prescription drug abuse) is one of the largest killers of youth and adults today,” said Sonya Bufe, chair of the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance, also on hand for the Valrico event.  

The numbers back her up. According to anti-drug advocates, prescription drug abuse is killing seven people a day die in Florida. There were 250 deaths related to prescription drug abuse in 2009, according to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner.  In 1995, that number was just 25.

“Prescription drugs are the new crack,” said Carla McClellan, a member of the Anti-Drug Alliance. “When I was in school it was ecstasy, cocaine or pot, nowadays it’s prescription drugs,” said McClellan who is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of South Florida in public health.

Some youngsters today are even playing their own version of Russian roulette with the drugs.  They hold ‘skittles parties’ where prescription drugs are poured into a bowl and each person takes out one or more drugs, Bufe said.

One new tool in the battle against prescription drugs abuse is a new drug monitoring program expected to begin later this year in Florida. The new law asks pharmacists and physicians to tell the state when they dispense certain drugs.

Florida is one of the only states without such a law. Consequently, the state has become a mecca for dealers from other states looking to score large amounts of drugs like Xanax and OxyContin.

Darrell Manns was among a steady stream of visitors to the event.  He dropped off some expired pills his wife no longer uses.

“I know you can’t just throw them in the trash so this is a great event for me,” Manns said.

Among some of the most commonly abused pills are painkillers (Vicodin, Tylenol with Codeine, OxyContin, Percocet), depressants (Klonopin, Nembutal, Soma, Valium, Xanax), stimulants (Adderall, Concerta, Dexedrine, Ritalin) and some over the counter medicines (Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Robitussin, Vicks Formula).

While parents may be alert to signs of possible drug use by a child outside the home but many times the danger is just down the hall in the family medicine cabinet, according to the Anti-Drug Alliance which , provided volunteers and educational materials at the collection sites.

Seventy percent of people age 12 and older who abuse prescription painkillers say they get them from relatives and friends, according to the Anti-Drug Alliance. Teens also report that these drugs are not hard to find. About 40 percent of 12th graders say that painkillers are fairly or very easy to get, and more than half say the same of stimulants.

The Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance offers the following advice and precautions:

• Safeguard all drugs at home. Monitor quantities and control access.
• Set clear rules for teens about all drug use, including not sharing medicine and always following the medical provider’s advice and dosages.
• Be a good role model by following these same rules with your own medicines.
• Properly conceal and dispose of old or unused medicines in the trash.
• Ask friends and family to safeguard their prescription drugs as well.
• To learn more about teen prescription drug abuse, visit www.TheAntiDrug.com or call 1-800-788-2800 to request free materials.

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