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Agencies in the region are once again participating in a national effort to collect unused prescription drugs to protect them from the streets.
After collecting more than 9.9 million pounds (nearly 5,000 tons) of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs in 15 previous events over the past eight years, the Drug Enforcement Administration hopes to reach a total of 10 million pounds collected after this weekend. National Prescription Drug Recovery Event.
Several regional agencies will participate in the return this year again and most are also collecting all year.
Lt. Doug Bowles of Park Hills announced that they would be going to the Park Hills Police Department from 10:00 to 14:00. Saturday, but will also accept unwanted medication all year.
Farmington Police Chief Rick Baker said they were participating again and that they were participating throughout the year by accepting unwanted medications at any time.
"We are still participating in the recovery of the drug. We are one of the pickup locations, "Baker said. "If anyone wants anything that he wants to bring to us, bring it to the police department and we'll take care of it for him."
Baker pointed out that they would not take needles or liquids, but would accept pills and capsules.
Desloge Chief of Police James Bullock said he was taking prescription drugs all year round, but would not accept needles, inhalers and illegal drugs.
"Only prescription drugs will be accepted," Bullock explained. "No matter how they discovered the drugs, we'll get rid of them. No questions asked. They send it to us and the DEA retrieves it to destroy it. "
Bullock added that they would go to the Parkland Health Mart located behind Jack in the Box at Desloge from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. collection for the event of recovery of the drug.
Other police services that take drugs all year long include the St. Francois County Sheriff and the Bismarck, Bonne Terre, Leadington and Leadwood Police Departments. The Washington County Sheriff's Department has a prescription drug drop box in the sheriff's office all year. The service is free and anonymous, without asking any questions.
This will be the 16th opportunity in seven years that the DEA, along with many national and local law enforcement agencies, are preventing the theft of pills and their misuse by ridding their homes of dangerous drugs that may be out of date, unused or unwanted.
This initiative addresses a vital issue of public safety and public health. Medications that languish in residential furniture are very likely to be diverted, misused and abused. In the United States, rates of prescription drug abuse are alarming, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses caused by these drugs.
The National Survey of Drug Use and Health conducted by the Administration of Substance Abuse and Health Services shows year after year that the majority of prescription drugs used abusively and abusively are obtained from family and friends, including drugs stolen by someone else.
In addition, Americans are told that their usual methods of disposing of unused drugs – flushing them out of the toilet or throwing them in the trash – present potential risks to safety and health.
"We know that the majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including the home medical office," said Uttam Dhillon, acting administrator of the DEA. "If we reduce the availability of these unused or expired medications through proper disposal, fewer medications are needed, and fewer people are at risk of abuse, addiction, overdose, and drug abuse. even from death. "
National Prescription Drug Resumption Day is an initiative that addresses a critical safety and public health issue. In the United States, rates of prescription drug abuse remain alarming, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses associated with these drugs. Because the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have informed the public that throwing their prescription drugs in the washroom or throwing them in the trash poses a potential health and safety hazard, the AED launched its drug take-back program.
National Recovery Day has received significant public support since its inception in 2010. Last April, the public sold 456 tonnes of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 DEA-managed sites and nearly 4,700 of its tribal partners and local.
This weekend, more than 5,400 collection sites managed by more than 4,400 law enforcement agencies will be open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. For more information on eliminating prescription drugs or the Take Back Day event, visit www.DEATakeBack.com or call 800-882-9539. To locate a drop-off point, visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov or contact a local law enforcement agency.
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