The Hollister Police Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will co-host a prescription drug disposal event from 10am to 2pm Oct. 26. The event will allow the public to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, police said.
The event will take place at the Target parking lot, 1790 Airline Highway. Residents can bring any prescription drugs they no longer want or need, and authorities will ensure the drugs are safely disposed of.
The drug take-back event is the 18th such effort in the last nine years in Hollister, reads a press release from Hollister Police Department. 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,” reads the press release.
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, police noted. 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 Oct. 26 Take Back Day event, visit DEATakeBack.com.
