On Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Snoqualmie-North Bend Police Department and the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 21st opportunity in nine years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Community members can bring pills for disposal to the Snoqualmie Fire Department at 37600 Snoqualmie Parkway. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Snoqualmie-North Bend Police will offer another Prescription Drug Take-Back event in October; more details to come.
Last spring, Americans turned in nearly 492 tons (985,392 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,800 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,700 of its state and local law enforcement partners.
In its 16 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in almost 10 million pounds—nearly 5,000 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 show that most 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—pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 30th Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
