On Oct. 26, the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, Hollister Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration will hold another “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day”.
The event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will provide prescription drug disposal along with education about potential abuse with such drugs, according to the Hollister Police Department, which advised residents to bring medications for disposal to the Hollister Target parking lot at 1790 Airline Highway.
So far, the Hollister Police Department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office has collected more than 300 pounds of prescription drugs. The DEA and partners, meanwhile, have collected more than two million pounds of pills.
According to the HPD announcement:
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. 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.
Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like San Benito County Sheriff’s Department and the Hollister Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.
