Arkansas news Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Unneeded prescription drugs will be accepted statewide Sept. 25 on Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, the state Department of Human Services announced today.

Expired and unwanted prescription drugs will be collected at more than 120 sites across Arkansas from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the agency said in a news release.

The medications will be transported to Clean Harbors Environmental Services in El Dorado for destruction.

DHS officials said that in the 2009 Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, close to 10 percent of Arkansas high school seniors reported non-medical use of prescription drugs in the past 30 days.

Arkansas sixth graders abuse prescription drugs more than any other substance except alcohol and cigarettes, state Drug Director Fran Flener said.

Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued a consumer alert today warning Arkansans of the risks of buying swine flu treatments over the Internet.

The alert comes just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed it recently purchased several drugs over the Internet purported to treat the H1N1 virus, but found numerous problems with the medications.

One of the pills purchased by the FDA contained talc and acetaminophen, common ingredients in over-the-counter pain relievers. Four other drugs purchased contained the active ingredient in Tamiflu, but in varying amounts.

Also, none of the medications was approved by the FDA for sale in the United States and they did not arrive soon enough to treat a person with the swine flu, even if they had worked.

The FDA said consumers who purchase medications over the Internet risk ingesting contaminated drugs that could cause severe problems. Also, the drugs would react with other medicines the person is already taking and if they do contain the active ingredient for treating H1N1, they could contain too little or too much to properly treat the virus.

“Consumers should be aware that by purchasing these drugs over the Internet, they are putting themselves at risk for life-threatening adverse effects,” McDaniel said in a news release.

McDaniel said Tamiflu and Relenza, another common treatment for swine flu, are available only by prescription from a doctor.

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On the Net:
—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov
—The Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov
—The Arkansas Department of Health: www.healthyarkansas.com
—The World Health Organization: www.who.int

A Fayetteville man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday for having a variety of drugs and child pornography.

A local couple reported that two men came into their home and
attempted to rob them of prescription drugs early Saturday
morning.

A local couple reported that two men came into their home and
attempted to rob them of prescription drugs early Saturday
morning.

A 35-year-old Paris man was charged recently with six felonies for possessing a gun and drugs across the street from the Boys and Girls Club of Paris.

When the Mexican military opened its Museum of Drugs in 1985, there were only a couple of dusty display cases in a small cramped room.

The Lavaca Police Department will accept any unused or unwanted
prescription drugs in an effort to prevent pill abuse and
theft.

The Lavaca Police Department will accept any unused or unwanted
prescription drugs in an effort to prevent pill abuse and
theft.

The Lavaca Police Department will accept any unused or unwanted
prescription drugs in an effort to prevent pill abuse and
theft.