Tag Archives: drug control

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

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April 29, 2017 – 10AM to 2PM

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and medications.

A number of agencies, pharmacies, organizations and others across South Carolina are joining the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to give the public its 13th opportunity in 7 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Find a location near you by visiting the DEA Diversion Website and bring your pills for disposal.  (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last October, Americans turned in 366 tons (over 730,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners.  Overall, in its 12 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 7.1 million pounds—more than 3,500 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 29 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website.

DHEC Drug Control Inspector Wins J.P. Strom Award

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By Betsy Crick

J P Strom

Pictured above: Hubert Harrell, Director of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy; Inspector Heather Diebold, Bureau of Drug Control; and Pam Hucks, Bureau of Drug Control Coastal District Director.

One of our DHEC Drug Control Inspectors, Heather Diebold, won the prestigious J.P. Strom award at her graduation from the Law Enforcement Academy on July 17.  Inspector Diebold received the J.P. Strom award from Director Harrell of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy during the graduation ceremony of Basic Law Class 634.  The Basic Law class is an intensive 12-week course to become a certified Class 1 Law Enforcement Officer.

The J.P. Strom Award is given to the student in each class who attains the highest cumulative academic score for all unit tests. A minimum 96% average must be achieved in order to qualify for the award.

For more information about DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control, please visit our website.

DHEC 2014 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

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By Jamie Shuster

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Shelly Kelly, DHEC Director of Health Regulation, presenting the DHEC 2014 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award to Angela Wallace

Angela Wallace has been named the DHEC 2014 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.  She has worked in the Bureau of Drug Control since 2002, and has recently been assigned to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program as the law enforcement investigator/educator.

Angie has been instrumental in educating both new and seasoned inspectors on how to approach drug diversion cases. I’m proud to say that she’s also been involved in complex investigations in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and her efforts have resulted in numerous arrests and convictions.

Angie always goes the extra mile and makes herself available as an expert in both proper pharmacy practices and current trends in pharmaceutical trafficking. Her familiarity with drug trafficking trends has proven to be extremely valuable in identifying organized pharmaceutical drug diversion operations.

Congrats to Angie on this special achievement!  DHEC is fortunate to have such talent within our agency.

To learn more about DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control, including prescription monitoring and site inspections, please visit our website.

Congrats to DHEC’s Newest Drug Control Inspectors

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By Jamie Shuster

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Inspector Rachel Richman receives the J.P. Strom award from Deputy Director of the SC Criminal Justice Academy Mike Lanier. (L-R: Deputy Director Mike Lanier, Inspector Rachel Richman, Bureau of Drug Control Director Lisa Thomson.)

Many people don’t know that our Bureau of Drug Control (BDC) serves not only a regulatory role, but also provides enforcement of South Carolina’s Controlled Substances Act. In fact, our BDC inspectors are actually pharmacists who have undergone additional training and become state law enforcement officers.

Our BDC inspectors conduct onsite inspections and audits of pharmacies, hospitals, and practitioners to make sure they are properly recording, storing, and handling controlled substances. These important members of our Public Health team make recommendations and offer assistance to help these entities follow proper procedures in handling controlled substances. They respond to complaints and concerns reported to DHEC that sometimes indicate criminal activity or misuse of controlled substances. When warranted, our BDC inspectors also make arrests.

We are proud to introduce the two newest members of our BDC law enforcement team, Inspector Megan Bates and Inspector Rachel McCoy Richman. Both Bates and Richman recently graduated from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy, where they took part in an intensive twelve week long course to become certified Class 1 Law Enforcement Officers.

During the graduation ceremony, Richman received the academy’s J.P. Storm Award for her outstanding academic achievements. The award is presented to the member of the graduating class with the highest cumulative academic average. She is the 4th member of the BDC to be a recipient of this honor.

Congratulations to Megan and Rachel, and thank you to all of our BDC inspectors for the work that you do every day to protect South Carolinians from potential abuse of controlled substances.

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

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By Jamie Shuster

Many people don’t know that our Bureau of Drug Control (BDC) serves not only a regulatory role, but also provides enforcement of South Carolina’s Controlled Substances Act. In fact, our BDC inspectors are actually pharmacists who have undergone additional training and become state law enforcement officers.

Our BDC inspectors conduct onsite inspections and audits of pharmacies, hospitals, and practitioners to make sure they are properly recording, storing, and handling controlled substances. These important members of our Public Health team make recommendations and offer assistance to help these entities follow proper procedures in handling controlled substances. They respond to complaints and concerns reported to DHEC that sometimes indicate criminal activity or misuse of controlled substances. When warranted, our BDC inspectors also make arrests.

Last week, one of our BDC inspectors for the Midlands region, Eddie Black, Jr., was awarded the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for routinely going above and beyond the call of duty in his work at DHEC Public Health. (Above is a picture of Eddie receiving his award from DHEC Director Catherine Templeton.) Continue reading →