BUCYRUS―The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is holding a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Bucyrus Police Department will be participating.
This will be the 18th opportunity in nine years that the department has held the event to prevent pill abuse and theft by giving local residents the opportunity of ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
Pills should be brought for disposal to Bucyrus City Hall, located at 500 South Sandusky Ave. Liquids, needles or sharps cannot be accepted, only pills or patches. For the first time, vape pens can be disposed of but not batteries. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
Last fall Americans turned in nearly 469 tons (more than 937,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites operated by the DEA and almost 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 more than 11.8 million pounds—approximately 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 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.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 26 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.