Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved Dsuvia, a powerful new opioid used to treat acute pain.

With the opioid crisis continuing to kill tens of thousands of Americans, this development is extremely concerning. This new drug is 1,000 times more powerful than morphine.

I hope that the FDA reconsiders this decision to now make available a much more powerful opioid that could potentially wind up in the wrong hands.

There are many facets to prescription drug misuse prevention, but one of the most important actions that every family can take is properly disposing of prescription medications to prevent them from ending up in the wrong hands.

This Saturday, communities throughout the country will participate in the 10^th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC) National Day of Awareness of Prescription Drug Abuse and Safe Disposal, an event that helps to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and encourages safe disposal of prescription drugs.

Prescription drug drop boxes are available 24 hours, seven days a week in many communities and can be located using the AMCC RX Drop mobile app or at AmericanMedicineChest.com.

If you cannot participate in the National Day of Awareness of Prescription Drug Abuse and Safe Disposal, you can still take the American Medicine Chest Five-Step Challenge throughout the year:

1. Take inventory of the medicines in your home
2. Dispose of any unused, unwanted and expired medicines
3. Secure the medicines you keep
4. Take your prescription as directed
5. Speak to children about the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription drugs