City's drug takeback day set for Saturday from 10-2
Staff reports 12:34 p.m.
The local National Prescription Drug Take Back Day that takes place this weekend aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, however, DEA will collect vape pens or other e‐cigarette devices from individual consumers only after the batteries are removed from the devices. It is important to stress that neither the Police Department nor the DEA is responsible for removing the batteries from the devices. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States 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.
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