On Saturday, October 23rd, 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, or the Snoqualmie Fire Department at 37600 Snoqualmie Parkway. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, with 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 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 23rd Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
[Information provided by the City of North Bend]
Comments
You can also take unwanted medications to a drop box in the lobby of the Snoqualmie Police station. And Bartells (both Snoqualmie and North Bend) have drop boxes in their Pharmacy area. These are all year round options.