On Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Snoqualmie Police Department and the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public an opportunity 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 North Bend City Hall, 920 SE Cedar Falls Way. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
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. Overall, 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 year after year 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 the October 29 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
[Information provided by the City of North Bend]
