Things You Wouldn't Think To Put In A Gun Safe (Medicines, Drugs, Pharmaceuticals)

When you think about things to put in your safe, medicine, drugs, and pharmaceuticals should definitely be on your list. In a way, your safe should become your new medicine cabinet. Especially if you have opioids in your home.

Opioids are potentially very harmful when they’re in the wrong hands. They are highly addictive and there is a strong market to purchase these drugs illegally. With that in mind, keeping them locked securely in your safe is a basic safety precaution, and can prevent the temptation of family members or visitors to take them.

Yes, I said visitors. If you have a party or a family get-together or even a neighborhood child playing with your child in your home, there is a chance that someone will go through your medicine cabinet and drawers. Anything they can smuggle out without you noticing is a win for them. I’m not trying to make you paranoid, just cautious.

The opioid epidemic continues to grow in America, with youth use growing at an alarming rate. Many times kids are exposed to powerful opioids by their parents, who may not realize how addicting these drugs are, or after minor surgery such as wisdom teeth removal.
Even the smallest exposure to these drugs can create a dependency. Once you’re hooked, it’s very difficult to get off of it again. Not impossible but you will struggle. For this reason, all painkillers should be locked away in a secure place.

A National Institutes of Health report on “Pharmaceutical opioids in the home and youth” said that “survey data shows that 60% of adolescents report that prescription pain relievers are easily accessible from their parent's medicine cabinets.” The study also showed that 19 out of 20 patients released from emergency care with an opioid prescription were demonstrating improper storage.
Like I said, I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just helping you be more cautious so a lifelong opioid addiction doesn’t affect someone you love. Always keep your meds locked up after use.
There is an additional benefit to keeping your medicine inside your safe. If you notice on the side of the bottle, it usually says “store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat sources.” That sounds a lot like your humidity-controlled safe. Wouldn’t you agree?
But you should also pay attention to the expiration date on the bottle as well. All medications and prescription drugs have a shelf-life. They will oxidize and degrade over time. Keeping them in a cool, dry place will extend the effective lifespan. Although, we still recommend proper disposal of prescription drugs after the expiration date.
With that said, It’s important to keep your prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs stored in their original, labeled containers with prescription information and expiration dates. Don’t mix pills from different bottles or batches, and don’t keep prescription meds in other containers when traveling.
When you are finished with your medications and you have some left over and/or when they have reached their expiration date, you should be sure to remove them from your safe and dispose of them properly. The best way is to return them to your local pharmacy, or in some locations there may be police departments, grocery stores, or addiction recovery centers that offer collection/disposal services. You may be tempted to flush the pills as so many people have done in the past. The FDA has created a special “flush list”. This list contains the drugs that are safe to flush and won’t introduce potentially harmful prescription compounds into our water supply.
A study in the August 2014 edition of The Clinical Journal of Pain finds that 6.3% of the veterans studied disposed of leftover medications, nearly two-thirds reported keeping leftover opioids, and slightly over one-third said they shared opioids at least once, having either shared their own pills or having received them from a friend or family member.
Now the big question is, What safe do I buy to store my medicine, drugs, and Pharmaceuticals? As it goes with any safe purchase, buy big enough that you won’t need an upgrade later. But if all you need is a safe to lock away your medicines, Liberty Safe offers several smaller home safes as well as handgun vaults that will suit your needs.
One last thing before you go. If you or a loved one is suffering from substance abuse, call MH’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP or 1-800-662-4357. They are a confidential and free treatment referral and information service that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They can refer you to a local treatment facility, support groups, and community-based organizations.
That’s all for now. Keep safe.