Use of Ventura County’s Prescription Drug Disposal Program

Ventura County is actively engaged and committed to preventing Rx/OTC drug misuse and abuse. One of the ways the County works to address the issue locally is by reducing access, especially to teens. VCBH Alcohol and Drug Programs, in collaboration with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, established a countywide Rx disposal...

The first National Fentanyl Awareness Day was May 10, 2022, and was recognized by organizations across the U.S. including the DEA. It was created to address our national public health crisis of deaths and overdoses due to fentanyl use. People, especially young people, are ingesting illegally manufactured fentanyl without knowing it and dying at alarming rates as a result.

The statistics...

Two decades ago, a new generation of supposedly “safer and less addictive” painkillers triggered an epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S. Since then, opioid overdoses have killed over 400,000 Americans. Now, more than half of opioid deaths are caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Beyond the death toll, at least 2 million Americans have become addicted.

U.S. deaths from...

1 in 5 Ventura County teens have abused prescription drugs. 

Over 50% get them from friends and family. 

9% of 9th graders and 14% of 11th graders in Ventura County say they’ve used prescription medications to get high.

The countywide report of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) indicates a hopeful decline in lifetime misuse of prescription drugs. However, prevention of...

This article was written with information taken from the International Overdose Awareness Day website and Ventura County Responds.

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31st, here’s some information and resources about the signs and statistics of overdose.

Drug overdose is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States, causing more deaths than...

Brought to you by Ventura County Responds and Ventura County Behavioral Health.

SAFE AND SECURE RX DRUG DISPOSAL

Ventura County is actively engaged and committed to preventing prescription drug misuse and abuse. One of the ways the County works to address the issue locally is by reducing access, especially to teens. The VCSO, in collaboration with Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH),...

As part of the Department of Ventura County Healthcare Agency, Ventura County Behavioral Health has created new online resources for teens, parents, families, and individuals within Ventura County who might be struggling with addiction, underage and binge drinking, prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse, cannabis use, mental health issues, and suicide prevention. Their website, Ventura...

The DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is coming up on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021. Rx Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription...

The following information is from the Fentanyl Ventura County website.

We are witnessing a nationwide epidemic of fentanyl deaths. Just a few grains of fentanyl are enough to kill you, or your child.

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid painkiller, up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, and can easily be fatal except when administered by a doctor or via...