Advocates warn parents to lock up prescription drugs as child poisoning deaths are up statewide

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A report from the Tennessee Department of Health is revealing troubling new data about child deaths from poisoning.

Metro Drug Coalition is warning parents to lock up their prescription drug medications, saying an innocent mistake could turn deadly.

“Children just see round colorful tablets. They don’t necessarily see the prescription that your doctor gave you,” Elle Peeples, the director of primary prevention services at Metro Drug Coalition, said.

Peeples said child safety caps on bottles aren’t enough. This comes as Tennessee child deaths from unintentional poisoning have more than doubled in a four-year span. The latest child fatality report from the state revealed that more than half were because of prescription medications.

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