Contra Costa Sheriff to Host National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – The Sheriff’s Office will join the DEA in hosting ‘Drug Take Bay Day’ this Saturday.
On Saturday, October 22, 2016, from 10 AM to 2 PM, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 447 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its eleven previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in over 6.4 million pounds 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.
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.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 22, 2016 Take Back event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control website at: www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.
