On Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Mt. Laurel Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its tenth opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring pills for disposal to the Mt. Laurel Police Department at 100 Mt. Laurel Road. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons of prescription drugs at nearly 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds 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. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including 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 Sept. 26 Take Back Day event, visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html.
