Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside County residents who want to get rid of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs can discard them later this month at a variety of locations during a National Drug Take-Back Day.
The April 29 effort, organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement agencies, is intended to highlight the importance of taking commonly abused drugs out of circulation.
“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department statement. “Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.”
The DEA began holding take-backs seven years ago to provide the public with alternatives to flushing expired or unwanted pills down a toilet, or throwing them in the garbage where they end up in a landfill, both of which are hazardous to the environment.
According to the agency, since its first take-back event, 7.1 million pounds — more than 3,500 tons — of prescription and non-prescription drugs have been collected at thousands of disposal sites throughout the country.
The agency noted that provisions in the federal Secure & Responsible Drug Disposal Act also authorize pharmacies, hospitals and other facilities to serve as routine collection sites.
Residents are invited to drop off unwanted pills at local police stations between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 29.
No questions will be asked of people disposing of pills or other medications, according to organizers. More information is available at http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/ .