The toll that opioids and other prescription drugs have taken on Indigenous communities is well documented, but these drugs are continuing to poison our families, our communities and our environment. Nationwide, Native Americans are three times more likely to die of a drug overdose than the general population. We need a solution.

Rural communities have not been immune to the impact of our nation’s opioid crisis. In fact, a survey sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union found that 74% of farmers and farm workers say they’ve been directly impacted by the opioid epidemic, yet only 1 in 3 rural adults say it would be easy to access treatment.

Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc. welcomes Bob Jansen, founder and CEO of Zensights, to its board of directors. As a board member, Jansen intends to spread awareness of proper disposal of unused prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, to protect both U.S. citizens and the environment from the impacts of improper medication disposal.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the U.S. has seen record numbers of opioid overdose deaths over the past year. That increase is also happening locally. Kaitlyn Krolikowski, director of the Purchase Area Health Connections Opioid Taskforce, said the pandemic is playing a role in rising opioid overdoses.

Orthopedic surgeon Greg Colbath says it was hard to convince people there was an opioid pandemic three years ago, but times have changed. After Gov. Henry McMaster’s declaration of an opioid emergency in late 2017 and last month’s federal guilty plea by OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma as part of an $8 billion federal settlement, Colbath said most people now are aware of the opioid pandemic.

A new study found that educational intervention coupled with a reliable option for opioid disposal resulted in a marked increase in disposal of opioids after surgery. This simple but effective approach is designed to help alleviate the ongoing opioid epidemic in this country.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is launching an educational campaign to prevent overdose deaths by teaching families how to properly dispose of unwanted or leftover prescription medications. Through a collaboration with Deterra pouches by Verde, HSC and several community partners will distribute 500 pouches, which destroy drugs when warm water is added to the bags containing deactivating pods, HSC said in a news release.