Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S; Drug Enforcement Agency will give the public its 18th opportunity in 10 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your pills for disposal to Wegmans Food Market at 100 Applied Bank Boulevard. (Sites cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps). The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last fall Americans turned in nearly 460 tons — more than 900,000 pounds — of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 17 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in almost 11 million pounds — nearly 5,500 tons—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to 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.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen 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.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 26 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com
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