The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) is launching a new initiative to educate how to safely use, store and dispose of opioids and other prescription meds.

The SAFER campaign targets Oklahomans 12 and older to prevent misuse and help Oklahomans safely store their medications.

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported in 2022 that around 45% of people 12 and older who misused prescription pain obtained the medications from a friend or relative. Thousands of children end up in emergency roomseach year from unintentional poisonings that occur at home where medicines are stored.

ODMHSAS’ senior director of public relations Bonnie Campo said the campaign is important as a preventative measure to support someone in a household who might be going through substance use disorder, and it can educate families so they can prevent curious kids from accidentally ingesting medications.

“This should be commonplace, and it's just not,” Campo said. “This is education that we can all use right now.”

The campaign’s website also includes a compilation of locations for drug disposal sites and Naloxone vending machines in Oklahoma.