There’s a new tool available in the fight against drug abuse. 

It’s a unique bag that can destroy prescription drugs before they get into the wrong hands. 

A pilot program in Florida is the first in the nation to try it out. 

When Brandilyn Karnehm was 18, she dabbled into abusing pain medication. Soon she was a full-fledged addict. 

“If you leave stuff in your medicine cabinet, there’s addicts around, people do go through your meds,” she said. 

Prescription drug abuse is rampant. That’s why officials at Drug Free Manatee were give $10,000 Deterra bags for a pilot program. 

Prescription drug abuse often starts at home. 

The Deterra bags can safely destroy them. Users can rip open the top and inside are bags full of specially formulated carbon. 

Each bag can hold up to 90 pills. Toss in the drugs and fill the bag with warm water, and the process immediately begins breaking down the pills. 

After shaking it for a few minutes, the medicine is neutralized and worthless and you can safely throw them away. 

Karnehm sees this as a promising tool in the fight. 

She hopes these bags can save someone from living the hard life she did. 

The bags also serve as an environmentally friendly way to dispose of drugs. 

If you toss drugs in the trash or flush them down the toilet, the drugs can harm the environment or seep into the water supply, so these bags can prevent that. 

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