DEA drug take back

Posted

On Saturday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to Noon, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington Police Department, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your pills for disposal to the United Presbyterian Church Parking Lot at 209 E. Main St., in Washington. (Sites cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.) For your privacy, it is recommended that you place the pills in a zip-lock bag and dispose of the bottle at home.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This event is DEA’s 21st nationwide event since its inception 11 years ago.

Last spring, Americans turned in 839,543 lbs. (420 tons) of prescription drugs at 5,060 sites operated by the DEA and 4,425 its state and local law enforcement partners. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 7,300 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 23 Take Back Day event, go to takebackday.dea.gov.

Event Date
Saturday, October 23, 2021