DEA to Take Back Your Drugs
You can drop off your expired prescription medications at Monroe Police Department and other locations throughout the nation.
If you have old prescription drugs, this weekend is your chance to dispose of them safely.
The Drug Enforcement Agency is hosting its fifth annual Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10a.m. until 2p.m. at locations through out the country. The drop-off location in Monroe will be atthe Monroe Police Depatment, 116 South Broad St., back parking lot.
The Take-Back Day helps prevent prescription pill abuse and theft by encouraging residents to clean out their medicine cabinets of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs.
In the four previous Take-Back Days, the DEA collected more than 1.6 million pounds of prescription drugs nationwide.
“The growing response to DEA’s national Take Back Day events demonstrates that the public understands, and wants to help combat, the epidemic of prescription drug abuse in America. They recognize the need to rid their homes of dangerous controlled substance medications that teens and others steal, abuse, and sell,” said DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart in a release. “DEA will continue holding these national Take Back Day events as long as they are needed to prevent diversion, addiction, and overdose deaths.”
People can drop off their unwanted medications at the drop-off locations for free anonymously. No questions will be asked.
To find a drop-off location near you, please visit the DEA's website.
jeff
10:56 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
We are very fortunate for this coordinated effort. National Take Back Day saves lives. Too many kids experiment with pills, and that experimentation can become addiction. Opiate abusers ultimately turn to heroin. We've lost too many lives in America with this. We need to help our kids stay away from these legal, but harmful drugs of abuse. Teen addicts in treatment tell Myteensavers that they never thoughts their recreational pill use would lead them to heroin, but it did. They advocate frequent parental conversations and home drug testing to help detect early drug use. Too many people rant about marijuana, when we have a serious opioid problem among all ages.
Sharon Swanepoel
10:59 am on Wednesday, September 26, 2012
You're right. Thank you for pointing this out.