From Decatur Police Lt. Jennifer Ross…
The Decatur Police Department will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 10am-2pm. Officers will be in front of the police department on West Trinity Place so you can easily drive up and drop off.
Drug Take-Back programs give community members the opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to theft, diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines, flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, both pose potential safety and health hazards.
This past April, Americans turned in 447 tons (over 893,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 11 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 6.4 million pounds—about 3,200 tons—of pills.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 22nd Take-Back Day event, go to the http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/