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National Drug Take Back Day: Mother who lost son to drug addiction urges others to dispose of prescriptions

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Published  April 25, 2025 5:15pm EDT
Opioid Epidemic
FOX 13 News

Message behind 'Prescription Drug Take Back Day'

FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.

The Brief

    • A local mother who lost her son to drug addiction joined law enforcement to encourage others to dispose of prescriptions safely during National Drug Take Back Day.
    • She lost her son in 2019 after he took a pill that was laced with fentanyl, passing away at 19 years old.
    • Law enforcement officials urge families to correctly dispose of unwanted medications at any drop-off location, including many police departments, sheriff's offices and hospitals.

TAMPA, Fla. - A local mother who lost her teenage son following a battle with drug addiction joined law enforcement and doctors from the Tampa Bay area to encourage people to safely dispose of their prescription medications during National Drug Take Back Day.

The backstory:

Megan LaDue's son, Wade Green, died in 2019 after taking what he thought was a painkiller. Megan said the pill had been laced with fentanyl and her son didn't survive, passing away at the age of 19.

READ: Rick Harrison of 'Pawn Stars' talks about son's overdose death: 'There is nothing worse'

"Wade was my beautiful son. He was so athletic. He was musically just so talented," LaDue said. "There is no greater pain than to lose your child and to lose a child that battled with addiction and...I, 19 years ago, would have said I would never be sitting here, and I don't want people to be naive because addiction can happen to anyone."

Her life mission is to share her son's story as a warning to parents, especially during a news conference previewing National Drug Take Back Day.

"Most kids, it starts getting a pill out of the parent's medicine cabinet. I know my son did that with a friend and so, if you can make it not accessible to them and protect them, or have them locked up properly and then dispose of them properly, it is so important," she said.

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What you can do:

Federal and local law enforcement representatives are urging families to take this opportunity to correctly dispose of unwanted medications on Saturday at any drop-off location, including many police departments, sheriff's offices and hospitals.

What they're saying:

"DEA and our local law enforcement partners and health care partners, we'll be collecting tablets, capsules, patches, liquids and other forms of prescription medication at numerous locations throughout Florida," said Bill Stockman with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

"Bring your unused prescription drugs to our drug take-back day. You aren't just clearing out your medicine cabinets, you're saving lives," added Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez.

Experts are also urging people to not wash their medications down the drain or toilet, because it can contribute to environmental issues.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer. 

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