Drug Take Back

On October 26th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Springfield Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 18th opportunity in nine years 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 any of the area collections sites: Springfield Justice Center, LCC Campus building 19, Coburg City Hall, Veneta Bi-Mart, Brownsville City Hall or Harrisburg City Hall.  (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last fall, Americans turned in 469 tons (over 937,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 6,300 sites operated by the DEA and more than 5,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners.  Overall, in its 17 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 11.8 million pounds—more than 5,900 tons—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.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of 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.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about future Drug Take Back Day events, go to www.DEATakeBack.com